Calcium fluoride is an inorganic compound, colorless crystal or white powder.

Calcium fluoride, a chemical compound known for its colorless crystal or white powder appearance, plays a crucial role in various industrial applications. This inorganic compound, with the chemical formula CaF2, is insoluble in water and slightly soluble in inorganic acids. Notably, when subjected to hot concentrated sulfuric acid, calcium fluoride reacts to produce hydrofluoric acid, demonstrating its chemical versatility.

The preparation of calcium fluoride typically involves the interaction of calcium carbonate with hydrofluoric acid or the repeated treatment of fluorite powder with concentrated hydrochloric acid or hydrofluoric acid. The resulting calcium fluoride product serves as an essential component in the manufacturing of various products, including optical lenses, aluminum metallurgy, and ceramics. Overall, calcium fluoride's unique properties and versatile applications make it a valuable compound in diverse industries.

The use of calcium fluoride is very wide, with the progress of science and technology, the application prospect is more and more broad. It is mainly used in the three major industries of metallurgy, chemical industry and building materials, followed by light industry, optics, engraving and national defense industry. Therefore, according to the use requirements, China's fluorite mineral products mainly have four series of varieties, that is, fluorite block ore, fluorite concentrate, fluorite powder ore and optical, engraving fluorite.

Metallurgical industry
Fluorite can reduce the melting point of refractory substances, promote slag flow, make slag and metal separation, desulfurization and dephosphorization in the smelting process, and enhance the calcinability and tensile strength of metal. Therefore, it is widely used as a flux in iron and steel smelting and ferroalloy production, iron smelting process and non-ferrous metal smelting.
Chemical industry
Another important use of fluorite is the production of hydrofluoric acid. Hydrofluoric acid is produced by the reaction of acid grade fluorite (fluorspar concentrate) with sulfuric acid in the heating furnace or tank, divided into anhydrous hydrofluoric acid and aqueous hydrofluoric acid, they are a colorless liquid, volatile, with a strong irritating smell and strong corrosion. It is a key feedstock for the production of various organic and inorganic fluorides and fluorine elements.
Building materials industry
Fluorite is also widely used in glass, ceramics, cement and other building materials industry, its consumption in China occupies the second place.
In the glass industry, fluorite as a flux, shading agent added, it can promote the melting of glass raw materials; In cement production, fluorite is added as a mineralizing agent. Fluorite can reduce the sintering temperature of the charge, reduce fuel consumption, and enhance the liquid phase viscosity of clinker during sintering to promote the formation of tricalcium silicate. In the ceramic industry, fluorite is mainly used as enamel, it can play a role in the production of enamel color and melting; Fluorite is also used in the enamel industry and in the production of cast stone.