Fluorine is an element while fluoride is the ion of fluorine. Fluoride is found in nature and added to drinking water and toothpaste for dental health. Excess fluoride can be harmful, causing mottled teeth, brittle bones, and other health problems. Fluorine and fluoride are used in industry, including the production of PTFE and pesticides.
The difference between fluoride and fluoride is quite simple. Fluorine is an element and fluorine is the ion of the element fluorine. Fluorine is one of the lightest elements among the halogens. It is the most electronegative element with a value of 4 on the Pauling scale. Electronegative is the tendency to attract a pair of bonding electrons. Fluorine, on the other hand, is the negative ion of fluorine. Compounds containing the fluoride ion are referred to as fluorides. An example of a fluoride is sodium fluoride (Na+F-).
Fluorine was discovered as an element in other compounds in the early 1500s by the German physician Georgius Agricola. The element was isolated in its pure form by Henri Moissan in the late 1800s. Fluorine can bond with almost any element due to its electronegative and oxidizing properties.
When we hear the term fluoride, most of us generally think of toothpaste. Fuoride is found in nature but the fluoride added to drinking water and toothpaste is synthesized in the laboratory. In the human body, fluoride reacts with a form of calcium phosphate called hydroxyapatite in bones and teeth to form fluorapatite, which also occurs as a mineral. In the right amount, this appears to have a strengthening effect and provides significant protection against tooth decay and cavity. Despite its presence in the human body and its beneficial effects at the right levels, fluoride is not considered an essential element as man seems able to do without it, and too much fluoride can be harmful.
There is some controversy surrounding the use of fluoride in products such as drinking water and toothpaste with opponents pointing out the potential harmful effects of excess fluoride. Opponents of fluoridation of water supplies have argued that it is a form of forced medication, while those in favor argue that it simply brings fluoride levels back to normal for areas that are deficient in this element.
Although elemental fluorine is highly toxic due to its reactivity, fluorides are generally less so. However, ingestion of soluble metal fluorides in very small quantities can have serious toxic effects and for this reason toothpaste and mouthwash should not be ingested. The acute effects of ingesting fluoride include brain and kidney damage and effects on the heart. The lethal dose for sodium fluoride is estimated to be 0.175 – 0.353 ounces (5-10 grams), an amount very unlikely to be absorbed through contact with generally available fluoride-containing products. The effects of chronic overexposure to fluoride include mottled teeth, brittle bones, anemia, and stiff joints.
Fluorine and fluorine are widely used in industry. One very useful fluorine-containing product is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a fluorinated plastic sold under a well-known trade name and used nationwide on kitchen utensils because of its heat resistance and non-stick properties. Furthermore, PTFE is used industrially for the storage of reactive substances, due to its chemical inertness. Fluorine and fluoride are also used in the production of pesticides, such as sulfuryl fluoride, and as an intermediate step in the enrichment of uranium for nuclear reactors.
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