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Every time I hear anything about Flourine, I’m reminded of “Sand Won’t Save You This Time” http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_sa

Every time I hear anything about Flourine, I’m reminded of “Sand Won’t Save You This Time” http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_save_you_this_time http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/san... I also suggest watching the Periodic Table of Videos episode on Flourine: https://youtu.be/vtWp45Eewtw https://youtu.be/vtWp45Eewtw

Sukotto 9y ago
Despite failing chemistry in high school (and never looking at it again afterward), I loved Derek Lowe's "Things I Won't Work With" column. He did an excellent job of describing some truly terrifying chemical substances in a lighthearted and engaging way.
- lnx01 9y ago
  http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/?s=things+I+won%27t+work+with http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/?s=things+I+won%27t+wor...
IanCal 9y ago
A link to "things I won't work with"? Well there goes my entire day!
Cthulhu_ 9y ago
Cody's Lab is also a very accessable series where the guy somewhat casually handles various acids to dissolve gold and such. He's got a series showing various ways to extract gold from other metals (or more commonly, the other metals from gold). Just in his home, maybe with an amateur extractor.
digi_owl 9y ago
The best part is perhaps the quote at the end from Ignition!.
pimeys 9y ago
The book Ignition!, mentioned in the article/comments, is soon back to print[0]. After reading these articles I think the book is a must read. Too bad the Kindle version is quite bad quality. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Ignition-Informal-History-Liquid-Propellants/dp/0813595835 https://www.amazon.com/Ignition-Informal-History-Liquid-Prop...
- peteri 9y ago
  Thank you very much for that, I've now swapped my pre-order to paper after reading some of the kindle reviews.
- pixl97 9y ago
  >Ignition! FOOF
dwighttk 9y ago
There is a great rundown of the history of fluorine by Isaac Asimov in _Galileo's Commandment: 2,500 Years of Great Science Writing_ (it might be excerpted from his book _The Noble Gases_, I'm not sure. I couldn't find an online version of the text)
- dwighttk 9y ago
  (the reason I think it may be in The Noble Gases is because he talks about the creation of Xenon Tetrafluoride)
- aaron695 9y ago
  page 144 https://www.scribd.com/document/294928247/Opus-100-Isaac-Asimov https://www.scribd.com/document/294928247/Opus-100-Isaac-Asi... ( https://docdownloader.com https://docdownloader.com ) (Hmmmm scribd changed their servers open in notepad and search for "from The Noble Gases" )
MarkMMullin 9y ago
It reminded me of this gem from the same author -- http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/thi...

Sukotto 9y ago

Despite failing chemistry in high school (and never looking at it again afterward), I loved Derek Lowe's "Things I Won't Work With" column. He did an excellent job of describing some truly terrifying chemical substances in a lighthearted and engaging way.

lnx01 9y ago
http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/?s=things+I+won%27t+work+with http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/?s=things+I+won%27t+wor...

IanCal 9y ago

A link to "things I won't work with"? Well there goes my entire day!

Cthulhu_ 9y ago

Cody's Lab is also a very accessable series where the guy somewhat casually handles various acids to dissolve gold and such. He's got a series showing various ways to extract gold from other metals (or more commonly, the other metals from gold). Just in his home, maybe with an amateur extractor.

digi_owl 9y ago

The best part is perhaps the quote at the end from Ignition!.

pimeys 9y ago

The book Ignition!, mentioned in the article/comments, is soon back to print[0]. After reading these articles I think the book is a must read. Too bad the Kindle version is quite bad quality. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Ignition-Informal-History-Liquid-Propellants/dp/0813595835 https://www.amazon.com/Ignition-Informal-History-Liquid-Prop...

peteri 9y ago
Thank you very much for that, I've now swapped my pre-order to paper after reading some of the kindle reviews.
pixl97 9y ago
>Ignition! FOOF

dwighttk 9y ago

There is a great rundown of the history of fluorine by Isaac Asimov in _Galileo's Commandment: 2,500 Years of Great Science Writing_ (it might be excerpted from his book _The Noble Gases_, I'm not sure. I couldn't find an online version of the text)

dwighttk 9y ago
(the reason I think it may be in The Noble Gases is because he talks about the creation of Xenon Tetrafluoride)
aaron695 9y ago
page 144 https://www.scribd.com/document/294928247/Opus-100-Isaac-Asimov https://www.scribd.com/document/294928247/Opus-100-Isaac-Asi... ( https://docdownloader.com https://docdownloader.com ) (Hmmmm scribd changed their servers open in notepad and search for "from The Noble Gases" )

MarkMMullin 9y ago

It reminded me of this gem from the same author -- http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/thi...