Conure - 26-5-2024 at 11:35
People say fluorides are dangerous to play with. YF3 is described as an irritant while CaF is described as non-toxic. What do you people say?
bnull - 26-5-2024 at 12:37
I'd say "Don't do that!"
Edit: OK, I think you deserve an explanation: fluorine is a bitch.
You see, chlorine is not much fun. You breathe it, you get a sore throat, perhaps a runny nose, but you'll be fine by the end of the week. I'm talking
about micro scale here, not a "Ypres reenactment".
Fluorine is hell. It removes calcium from your blood and bones. Hydrofluoric acid, if you get splashed by it, you better have some calcium
gluconate ready and pray to whatever Supreme Being you believe inNote; otherwise, you'll wriggle like an earthworm on hot asphalt for the
rest of your short life. Say, a couple of minutes.
Please read carefully this thread: How hazardous is fluorine chemistry?
Note: Or invent your own on the spot if you believe in none.
[Edited on 26-5-2024 by bnull]
Edit 2: I'm being overcautious again.
You are trying to make metallic yttrium from YF3, right? If so, check out the old stuff in the Library. I would bet there is a safe
procedure using Ca as reducing agent in one of those books.
@BromicAcid: Do you know if CaF2 forms a complex with YF3, or maybe even one of those odd oxide-halogenide combinations?
[Edited on 26-5-2024 by bnull]
BromicAcid - 26-5-2024 at 13:12
Calcium fluoride is non-toxic because it's pretty much insoluble. There's no way for the naked fluoride ion to enter your body since it's tied up.
It's actually the calcium fluoride crashing out of the calcium channels in your heart that give you your heart attack.
Yttrium fluoride is also described as being insoluble. Probably why it's just listed as an irritant rather than just a poison. It's probably pretty
low on the toxicity spectrum especially compared to highly soluble fluorides like sodium/potassium fluoride which are classified as poisons.
These two fluoride are about as tame as they come, though I still would not ingest them intentionally (or at least not in large amounts since I use a
stannic fluoride toothpaste). These two fluorides are made dangerous though by reaction with strong acids which could liberate HF which is another
creature all together.
Reacting YF3 with Ca though to give Y metal doesn't seem like much of a toxicity hazard (keep upwind of the fumes in case the fluorides start to
volatize) but does worry me from an energetics aspect, sometimes these metal reductions can get a bit out of hand, where your calcium is going to melt
and start to really let the reaction take off.
[Edited on 5/26/2024 by BromicAcid]