The gas is liberated
at about the rate of two liters per hour, and has very powerful chemical
properties. It smells somewhat like hypochlorous acid, etches dry glass,
and decomposes water, liberating ozone, and forming hydrofluoric acid.
The non-metallic elements, with the exception of chlorine, oxygen,
nitrogen, and carbon, combine directly with it, evolving in most cases
both light and heat. It combines with hydrogen, even in the dark,
without the addition of any external energy, and converts most metals
into their fluorides. Gold and platinum are not attacked in the cold,
but when gently heated are easily corroded. Mercury readily dissolves
the gas, forming the protochloride; iron wire also completely absorbs
the gas, while powdered antimony and lead take fire in it. It is
necessary in the electrolysis of the liquid hydrofluoric acid to cool
the electrolytic cell by means of methyl chloride to -50 deg. C. Fluorine
appears to thus fully confirm the predictions which have been made by
chemists concerning its properties. It is by far the, most energetic of
all the known elements, and its position in the halogen series is
established by its property of not liberating iodine from the iodides of
potassium, mercury, and lead, and also of setting free chlorine from
potassium chloride.
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