uni'wissen 01-2015

von Stephanie Streif Secure area, trained staff: In the lab at the Freiburg Materials Research Center, scientists can conduct experiments with fluorine concentrations of up to 100 percent. Photo: Sandra Meyndt uni wissen 01 2015 All most people think of when they hear the word fluorine are toothpaste, propellants, and air conditioners. For Prof. Dr. Ingo Krossing, on the other hand, director of the Institute of Inor- ganic and Analytical Chemistry of the University of Freiburg, fluorine is very interesting: “When we introduce the element to chemical systems, we can dramatically change and control its proper- ties.” Fluorine is also found in batteries, non-stick coatings, fuel cells, dyes, liquid crystals, blood substitutes, and in every second agent approved for use in medicine. Krossing wants to develop new fluorine compounds to enhance the performance of batteries. Other fluorine-containing substances he is working on could potentially improve indus- trial production processes and make them more environmentally friendly. All the same, Krossing sees himself as a fun- damental researcher. A board member of the Fluorochemical Working Group at the German Chemical Society, he aims to determine causes, 40 Element with a Hot Temper by Jürgen Schickinger Fluorine reacts with nearly every other substance – and gives many of them useful new properties uni wissen 012015

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