New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-20
1T DEVOURS LIKE FJpr
STRANGE AND BEA UTIFt'L FFFr,.rs
DUCED by FLUORINE
RECENT RESEARCHES INTO rHE Sarrsv
HITHERTO POORLY KNOWN cmEsicu
ELEyEST

c. r. Townsend In knowledge
The alchemists u the Middle Arss h.,.
that someD here IN the universe vas d, 80
A universal solvent which would -;
most refractory substances a. readily a. =
dlssolFes sugar They named th.ir -
liquor alkah sst. and what time they COMA ~
from the search after tho elixir u lIfe sr5'
philosopher stone was spent In IA. 49,
10 obtain u. Science has set to prove hi =
Wy. that There MAS nor moro method Z y
madness % the al hcmisfs than IA s.,e,-
supposed. fOr IN the remarkable spis..@I
nGorlne chemists possess material 'h,, -
prOximatcs very closely 90 a universal .o',..'
it, chemical energy iF - fierce that e,.-.
gold ard platinum. nothing can resist Ia -.
even gold and platinum succunb fo an.
In time. The mere contact ~ most sulst.,.
Nth nuorlne ls sufficient D. UalfD na, -.
solution. but light flame and force 49,.
TORS Dun. inert Mint takes IRE when er,o,'.
10 nuorinc vapor and becomes a brii.ar, :
candesc,nt mass l.amphiack bursts INTO e..
while charcoal burns win bright scintllai.1s
Only the diamond Is able % resist tbs r.,..
ful solvent. 10 which IL does not succumt ~.
at high temperatures. The similar e,s~..,
silicon. which can be- obtained lr A crys,.u-.
form closely resembling the diamond xy,,
magnificent display in the presence = alo,,
the crystals becoming White-hot and tb,oxs.
showers of fery spinglrs 10 all directlons -
heat Is 80 intense that the crystals melt 81,
ing that their temperature has reached In
degrees Ccntigrad" Phosphorus corbk,
fcrc.ly with iiuoiine. irusslan blue On A.
count OF the cyanogen n contains hurns a.
a beautiful pink flame. while from cr,gtA I,
iodine placed IN npOrine yspor heavy uqrt
dstils with pale flame This l.quld an lo.,.
OF huOrne ct hes glass. and u thrown "a
water Kisses Ike hot iron The iasi-narss
metal becomes whitc-hot when evpos.t !.
nuorne, even iron rust behaves In a snGv
manner Nearly all metals are raised 10 wv
incandescen - IN "A current % the gas many A.
pearng very beautiful. especially iln-.lr.-
and zinc II the latter hc slightly warned 4
bursts into white aame .l9 dazzling % ra
At or d'scribe.
Although IT has been known in various IA.
OF combination Tor many years having 10,
first discovered boy SchWankhardt - Nur,r.
burs. ln 1870. ana r,lisUofrreI hy Sctee.e
HI nuprin- was not obtained As n4orr.
the free state until about SIX years ago ats:
the French chemist Moissan succeeded In s.
lating II by employing current ~ cleo ,riaJ
from twenty six or twenty eight BIusen batter
les. The current was passed through ne CO
pound Of nuorine aud hydrogen known A. h
droiiuoric acid which is similar ~ hydroohi0-,
acid. To improve tn conductiyity ~ he hy!D
iluoric acid IL was necessary to dissolve A.
other fiuorine compound In the liquid As al
readily b" imagined. u is not 80 difficult 20 -
tain free huoTne a. - keep IL when 0b,ane.
Every part Of the apparatus used by VI Mo.sn
was made ~ platinum. with screw joints us
washers ~ lead which swell ON contac; sNs
nuOrine. all the shoppers being ~ hu0ryG
Fluorine has powerful affinity fpr silicon q.
of the principal constituents OF glass 50 ihs, (
was impossible 10 Use glass vessels " tubes 70
contain tho gas.
As regards the chemical nature ~ flgorine h
Is gas at ordinary temperatures. and is n
lightest member 81 the series II % msnfs cor
tanning chlorine. brom'ne and iodine. The A.
traction Of Huorne for hydrogen exceeds ihl
Of chlorine, and il 50 great that 4 a siOg GU.
rent Of fluOrine gas be- passed into a tube =
fiuorspar containing a drop Of water a dan
fog is produced. which changes presently % .
blue vdpor consisting Of oZone-th- ConienSA
form Of oxygen. The lasi-uamed substance ~
pears 10 be one Of the few materials which hu
no affinity for fiuo-ne. nothing rs observed Z
take place between them even when they az
heated up TO 1000 degrees Fahrenheit
So far all experiments had been conducts:
with fiuorine gas. which. az the time I, VA
isolated. resisted all attempts 10 reduce IL 10 he
liquid state Six years ago. however there W
no laboratOry-such as that Al the Royal u
stitution-having powerful machinery for p's
ducing liquid air or liquid oxygen :, the COZ
mand OF the Investigator. IN fact liquid a.
itself was practically unknown. BY ne aid (.
this weapon, Professors De"ar and NolssI
have succeeded in liqucfying luorine. A. Z.
extremely low temperature OF liquid oxygen
was found that huorine did not attack gas
and 1t was possible To use glass vessels to no'
the newly liquetied element