Fluorine in annual revenue. Due to the danger from direct hydrocarbon–fluorine reactions above −150 °C (−240 °F), industrial fluorocarbon production is indirect, mostly through halogen exchange reactions such as Swarts fluorination, in which chlorocarbon chlorines are substituted for fluorines by hydrogen fluoride under catalysts. Electrochemical fluorination subjects hydrocarbons to electrolysis in hydrogen fluoride, and the Fowler process treats them with solid fluorine carriers like cobalt trifluoride. Halogenated refrigerants, termed Freons in informal contexts, are identified by R-numbers that denote the amount of fluorine, chlorine, carbon, and hydrogen present. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) like R-11, R-12, and R-114 once dominated organofluorines, peaking in production
Bromine pentafluoride Bromine pentafluoride Bromine pentafluoride, BrF, is an interhalogen compound and a fluoride of bromine. It is a strong fluorination reagent. BrF finds use in oxygen isotope analysis. Laser ablation of solid silicates in the presence of bromine pentafluoride releases O for subsequent analysis. It has also been tested as an oxidizer in liquid rocket propellants and is used as a fluorinating agent in the processing of uranium. Bromine pentafluoride was first prepared in 1931 by the direct reaction of bromine with fluorine. This reaction is suitable for the preparation of large quantities, and is carried out at temperatures over with