MOISSAN, HENRI - ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS IN CHEMISTRY SOLVED - THE ISOLATION OF FLUORINE

Recherches sur L'Isolement du Flour.

Paris, G. Masson, 1887. 8vo. Contemp. hcalf, raised bands, gilt spine. Light wear along edges. Small stamps on verso of titlepage. In: "Annales de Chimie et de Physique", 6e Series - Tome 12. 576 pp. (Entire volume offered). Moissan's paper: pp. 472-537. Many textillustrations of apparatus in woodcut.

First appearance of the paper in which Moissan describes his isolation and observation of the properties of fluorine gas and his succes in producing diamond with his pectacular arc method. Fo these achievements he was the first French to be awarded the Nobel Price in chemistry (1906).

The existence of the element fluorine had been well known for many years, but all attempts to isolate it had failed and some experimenters had died in the attempt.
"Moissan eventually succeeded in preparing fluorine in 1886 by the electrolysis of a solution of potassium hydrogen difluoride (KHF2) in liquid hydrogen fluoride (HF). The mixture was needed because hydrogen fluoride is a non-conductor. The device was built with platinum/iridium electrodes in a platinum holder and the apparatus was cooled to -50 °C. The result was to completely isolate the hydrogen produced from the negative electrode from the fluorine produced at the positive one.This is essentially still the way fluorine is produced today." (Wikipedia).
Partington IV, p. 912. - Weeks "Discovery of teh Elements", p. 272 ff. - Parkinson "Breakthroughs" 1885 C.

Order-nr.: 44236