Name       : Fluorine
Symbol     : F
Atomic #   : 9
Atom weight: 18.9984
Melting P. : -219.62
Boiling P. : -188
Oxidation  : -1
Pronounced : FLU-eh-reen or FLU-eh-rin
From       : Latin fluere, "flow"
Identified : Henri Moissan in 1886
Appearance : Greenish-yellow, pungent, corrosive gas
Note       : Extremely reactive

[Properties]

  Fluorine heads the list of Group-IIA elements that are commonly known as
the halogens.  The remainder of the group is made up of chlorine (Cl),
bromine (Br), iodine (I), and astatine (At).  All halogens, with the notable
exception of astatine, occur in nature.  Notice that the names of the
halogens all end in -ine.
  The halogens are all very active, nonmetallic elements that readily
combine with most metals to account for a large family of metallic salts.
In such instances, the halogens are represented by ions having a charge of
-1.
  Fluorine can oxidize any metal, reacting with it to form some common
fluorides.  The oxidation state is -1, so most of the metallic fluorides
are fairly simple.  Like the other halides, fluorine is diatomic; that is,
elements fluorine is made up of two atoms of the gas.