In toothpaste, Teflon, LEDs and medications, it shows its sunny side - but elemental fluorine is extremely aggressive and highly toxic. Attempts to determine the crystal structure of solid fluorine using X-rays ended with explosions 50 years ago. A research team has now clarified the actual structure of the fluorine using neutrons from the Heinz Maier Leibnitz Research Neutron Source (FRM II).
Fluorine is the most reactive chemical element and highly toxic. It is nonetheless widely deployed. In the first attempt to determine the atomic distances of solid fluorine in 1968, a research team in the United States used X-rays. A difficult task, because fluorine only becomes solid at about minus 220 °C. And already cooling down the aggressive element resulted in explosions. ...
