نبذه عن الكتاب: Fluorides and fluorine chemistry have important impact on many aspects of modern life. Most are aware of Teflon coatings in cooking utensils, the impact of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer, the beneficial influence of fluoride on dental caries, and the utility of substituting F for H in making pharmaceuticals such as fluorouracil. But generally there is less awareness of the impact, real or potential, that fluorine chemistry can have on improving our environment, saving energy via new synthetic approaches, making more potent and longer-lasting batteries, and improving nuclear-reactor technology. These are some of the issues to be addressed in this series of volumes. Apart from the proton, the fluorine atom binds to more elements than any other atom. This is because the chemical bonds that the F-ligand makes with other atoms are intrinsically strong. The small size and closed-shell electron configuration of the bound fluorine ligand account for these properties. Indeed, the close proximity and mutual repulsion of the valence electrons in the small F2 molecule cause it to be weakly bound. This (contrasting with the strong double bond in O2) gives fluorides a high thermodynamic stability, relative to oxides. In addition, the high effective nuclear charge and smallness of bound F, make it the most electronegative of ligands. So, we find that except for helium and neon, fluorine is known to bind to all of the elements. Moreover, fluorine often excites the highest oxidation state attainable in an element. Only in cases where the univalence of the F-ligand demands high coordination (and strong ligand–ligand repulsion) does oxygen surpass fluorine in that respect (as in the nonexistence of the octafluorides of xenon or osmium, contrasting with the known tetroxides of those elements)