Source of HF
Naturally occurring CaF2 is the principal source of hydrogen fluoride, a commodity chemical used to produce a wide range of materials. Hydrogen fluoride is liberated from the mineral by the action of concentrated sulfuric acid:
- CaF2(s) + H2SO4 → CaSO4(solid) + 2 HF(g)
The resulting HF is converted into fluorine, fluorocarbons, and diverse fluoride materials. As of the late 1990s, five billion kilograms were mined annually.
Read more about this topic: Calcium Fluoride
Famous quotes containing the words source of and/or source:
“The source of poetry that
seeing the clock stopped, says,
The clock has stopped
that ticked yesterday so well?”
—William Carlos Williams (1883–1963)
“It has lately been drawn to your correspondent’s attention that, at social gatherings, she is not the human magnet she would be. Indeed, it turns out that as a source of entertainment, conviviality, and good fun, she ranks somewhere between a sprig of parsley and a single ice- skate. It would appear, from the actions of the assembled guests, that she is about as hot company as a night nurse.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)