Description
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Bromine is a halogen that is a reddish brown color in its natural liquid state. It is a highly reactive element and it is the only nonmetal that is a liquid at room temperature. Bromine has an atomic mass of 79.904, a melting point of 19 °F, and a boiling point of 137.8 °F. Some common uses of bromine include: as a fumigant and flame retardant, as a component in water purification, as a component in dyes, disinfectants, and medicines.
Isolation
Bromine does not occur free in nature but is found in the form of bromide salts and crustal rock. Isolation processes to extract bromine from these sources are used for commercial bromine purposes.
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Bromine salt is present in sea water and is recovered from water in brine wells and out of the Dead Sea. The salt of bromine, bromide, is collected out of seawater by treating the seawater with a chlorine gas and then flushing the seawater and chlorine gas with air; the result of the reaction causes bromide to be oxidized to bromine. This process is used for large scale bromine isolation purposes.
Bromine can be isolated on a small scale laboratory setting by reacting solid sodium bromide salt with sulphuric acid. From this reaction, bromine gas is formed; additional amounts of sulphuric acid will oxidize the bromine gas to form pure bromine and sulfur dioxide. This reaction will only work with sodium bromide salt; it will not work if using the bromide salt containing chlorides or fluorides.
Pure bromine is toxic when inhaled and is corrosive to human tissue; this element must be handled carefully in its isolated form.