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Elements

Factual: Science & Nature

Chemical elements: where do we get them and how do they fit into our economy?

A close look at chemical elements, the basic building blocks of the universe. Where do we get them, what do we use them for and how do they fit into our economy?

Elements: Fluorine

16/07/2015

Fluorine

BBC World Service - Elements, Fluorine

The key building block for CFCs and a string of other gases posing a threat to mankind

This ferocious yellow gas is the key building block for a string of other gases that pose a threat to mankind - from ozone-depleting CFCs to potent greenhouse gases.

Fluorine is a ferocious yellow gas, which is a key building block for a string of other gases that pose a threat to mankind - from the ozone-depleting CFCs to potent greenhouse gases. Justin Rowlatt visits the electricity substation of University College London with Prof Andrea Sella to see one such gas in action. He speaks to Dr Stefan Reimann, who tracks their release into the atmosphere for the World Meteorological Organization. And he finds out from pioneering researcher Ian Shankland at chemicals giant Honeywell why an exploding Mercedes car caused a trans-Atlantic chemistry tiff.

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