In the ancient days, early chemists always held on to the notion that metal fluorides had an constituent identical to chlorine. However, they had an enormous challenge of isolating the said element from the metal fluorides. In the year 1812, a French scientist named Andre Ampere called this element fluorine. Ampere was one of these early scientists who was driven by the urge to obtain fluorine from the metal fluorides. In later endeavors, a famous scientist, Humphry Davy, was also unable to separate it. He consequentially fell sick while trying to obtain the element from hydrofluoric acid (HF). In 1869, George Gore, who was a British chemist, took a liquid HF and passed an electric current through it but to his disgust, the emitted gas reacted aggressively with the apparatus he used. He presumed that the gas in question was fluorine but he failed to trap it and prove that indeed it was fluorine. The year 1886 saw the separation of element fluorine when yet another French chemist, Henry Moissan, collected the gas from a solution of liquid HF and potassium bifluoride (KHF2) by use of electrolysis.
However, it was until early 1900s when Fredrick S. McKay uncovered fluoride to be an effective element in fighting cavity. The researcher was practising dentist in Colorado when he discovered a mottled enamel among the majority of his patients, a feature that is caused by some contents in drinking water. The author later discovered that his patients were consuming water with high contents of naturally occurring fluoride. From that period henceforth, products contain fluoride were introduced for both dental professional and general market (American Dental Association, 2005).
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Description of fluorine
Fluorine is a gas. It is pale yellow, highly corrosive, diatomic, and flammable gas. It is categorized as a halogen (the lightest halogen) and is also classified as a non-metal. Fluorine’s symbol is F, and it is atomic number 9 on the periodic table. Additionally, fluorine is the most volatile element and the leading electronegative elements. When fluorine mixes with water, it reacts violently to give out oxygen (O2) and the HF acid which highly corrosive.
Current Uses of Fluorine
Despite its corrosive nature, Fluorine is utilized for some purposes. For instance, fluorine and its constituent compounds are used in the processing of nuclear fuel. Uranium hexafluoride, which is a compound of fluorine is the one that is mostly used to process this nuclear fuels (Fluorine, 2016). Fluorine is also used in the manufacture fluorochemicals. It makes high-temperature plastics like Teflon. Another compound of fluorine, HF acid, is used to etch the glass in light bulbs due to its ability to dissolve glass (Fluorine, 2016). Further, fluorine is used in the manufacture of Freon which is used as a refrigerant. However, the use of chlorocarbons has in the recent past been scrutinized due to the depletion of the ozone layer which is associated with its nature. Today, fluorine is being used widely in the manufacture of fluoride toothpaste (Fluorine, 2016). It is said that fluoride toothpaste have the ability to strengthen one’s teeth. However true this is, dentists argue that fluoride toothpaste do not clean a person’s teeth as expected.
Production of Fluorine
Commercial fluorine is produced using the electrolysis method (Fluorine, 2016). Anhydrous hydrogen fluoride that contains dissolved potassium fluoride is electrolyzed. The potassium fluoride and hydrogen fluoride react to give out potassium bifluoride (KHF2) (Fluorine, 2016).
HF + KF → KHF2/ KF∙HF
The fluoride (KHF2) is then oxidized at the anode where it produces fluorine, and the hydrogen ion is reduced at the cathode where it gives out hydrogen gas (Fluorine, 2016).
Cathode: 2H+ + 2e- → H2 (g)
Anode: 2F- → F2 (g) + 2e-
Anhydrous hydrogen fluoride is produced through the action of sulphuric acid on calcium fluoride. Acid grade fluorspar that is in powder form is distilled with sulphuric acid that is highly concentrated to give out gaseous hydrogen fluoride that is condensed and purified through distillation. Potassium fluoride, on the other hand, is obtained by the reaction of the hydrofluoric acid with potassium carbonate or potassium hydroxide. The salt produced is then centrifuged and dried to give out dry potassium carbonate.
Use of Fluorine in Toothpaste and Mouthwash Fighting
Toothpaste has been viewed as a cosmetic for quite an extended period now. The reason why most people use toothpaste is not that it is good for their dental health but because it tastes good. A lot of kinds of toothpaste have been manufactured with good tastes that their buds easily like. However, these kinds of toothpaste are laced with ingredients each of which are used specifically to give a far much better dental experience. One of this components is fluorine.
For a while now, fluorine has been used in some kinds of toothpaste. The addition of fluoride to toothpaste raised a lot of eyebrows because it rendered the toothpaste as partially a drug and somewhat a cosmetic. This brought toothpaste under the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). As earlier stated, however, fluoride does not make teeth cleaner; it only strengthens teeth of a person. A large percentage of the world population has a negative attitude towards the use of fluorine and therefore deny to use the fluoride kinds of toothpaste. Dentists have, however, recommended the use of fluoride kinds of toothpaste from a professional point of view stating that it plays a very crucial role in the maintenance of dental health.
Fluoride in toothpaste, mouthwash, or even water reduces the probability of tooth decay (Nordqvist, 2016). A study conducted in the early 1930s indicated that areas, where fluoridated water was used, had fewer cases of tooth cavities as compared to areas without fluoridated water. In successive relation, many other studies also indicated the same in the following years and so the influence of fluoridated water was noted (Nordqvist, 2016).
Fluoride protects the human teeth in some ways. Human teeth contain bacteria which are found in the mouth. This bacteria upon combining with sugars result into the production of an acid which causes a lot of damage to teeth through the erosion of the enamel (Nordqvist, 2016). This type of tooth problem is called demineralization. Fluoride helps to prevent this demineralization caused by this acid through the reducing of the acid into an aqueous solution. Sodium fluoride which is a primary component of both the mouthwash and toothpaste is used to moderate the pH of the acids in the mouth and thus preventing them from eroding the teeth enamel (Nordqvist, 2016). When mixed with water, the sodium fluoride forms an aqueous solution which is not harmful to teeth, and thus cavities are not easily formed.
In the case where teeth have already been damaged by the acid, fluoride is also of great importance. The fluoride accumulates in the areas that are already demineralized (Nordqvist, 2016). Once it has accumulated, the fluoride strengthens the affected enamel making it less prone to the dangers of further cavity infections. This process is called remineralization (Nordqvist, 2016).
In summary, fluoride can reduce tooth decay through a number of methods. One, it changes the structure of the developing enamel making it more impervious to attack. It also provides an environment for the formation of better enamel quality that is also very resistant to acid attack. Lastly, it also prevents the bacteria’s ability to produce the acid which is the key cause of tooth decay.
People all over the world should be urged to use fluoride kinds of toothpaste, mouthwash, and even water. The advantages that come with the use of fluoride in dental health are quite immeasurable and are all for the greater achievement of dental health for all. Dentists and even dental hospitals should advise their clients about the importance of fluoride in dental health. They should also educate the community on the importance of fluorine in their dental well-being and even make the toothpaste and mouthwash readily available. Authorities in charge of water supplies should also add fluoride to water to safeguard the dental health of those who they serve. A fluoridated society is dentally healthy community.
References
“Fluorine” (2016). The Essential Chemical Industry. The University of York, York, UK . Retrieved from http://www.essentialchemicalindustry.org/chemicals/fluorine.html.
American Dental Association. (2005). Fluoridation Facts . Retrieved from http://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Member%20Center/FIles/fluoridation_facts.ashx.
Nordqvist, C. (2016). Fluoride: uses, effects and controversies. Medical News Today . Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154164.php.
