Historical
Facts and Elements Uses:
Bromine, «BROH meen or BROH mihn,» is a reddish
liquid chemical element.
Bromine is highly reactive, and it readily vaporizes into a reddish-brown
gas that has a
strongly irritating odor. Both the liquid and vapor forms of bromine
are corrosive and
poisonous. The liquid can cause severe skin burns. Bromine is found
in the form of bromide salts in salt water and dry salt beds. Commercial
production of the chemical involves the treatment of salt water with chlorine
to free the bromine. In the United States, the principal sources of the
element are underground brines in Arkansas and Michigan. Bromine
is used in making fire-retardant chemicals and as a disinfectant in water
treatment. It is also used to make silver bromide, a light-sensitive component
of
photographic materials. Other bromine compounds are used as dyes and
as sedatives
and anesthetics. Through the years, bromine was widely used to
make ethylene dibromide (EDB), which is an additive in leaded gasoline.
But the use of lead-free gasoline has nearly eliminated this application
of bromine. EDB has also been used as an insecticide. However, most
agricultural uses of EDB have been banned because studies have shown that
the compound may cause cancer. Bromine was first prepared in 1826
almost simultaneously by Antoine J. Balard, a French chemist, and Carl
J. Lowig, a German chemist. Bromine has the chemical symbol Br. It belongs
to the halogen family of chemical elements. Its atomic number is 35, and
its atomic weight is 79.904. Bromine freezes at -7.25 °C and boils
at 59.47 °C. It is the only nonmetallic element that is liquid at room
temperature. |
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