The danger of attempting to isolate fluorine gas is not apocryphal. From Wikipedia:
Progress in isolating the element was slowed by the exceptional dangers of generating fluorine: several 19th century experimenters, the “fluorine martyrs”, were killed or blinded. Humphry Davy, as well as the notable French chemists Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thénard, experienced severe pains from inhaling hydrogen fluoride gas; Davy’s eyes were damaged. Irish chemists Thomas and George Knoxdeveloped fluorite apparatus for working with hydrogen fluoride, but nonetheless were severely poisoned. Thomas nearly died and George was disabled for three years. French chemist Henri Moissan was poisoned several times, which shortened his life. Belgian chemist Paulin Louyet and French chemist Jérôme Nicklès tried to follow the Knox work, but they died from HF poisoning even though they were aware of the dangers.
The danger of attempting to isolate fluorine gas is not apocryphal. From Wikipedia:
Progress in isolating the element was slowed by the exceptional dangers of generating fluorine: several 19th century experimenters, the “fluorine martyrs”, were killed or blinded.
Humphry Davy
, as well as the notable French chemistsJoseph Louis Gay-Lussac
andLouis Jacques Thénard
, experienced severe pains from inhaling hydrogen fluoride gas; Davy’s eyes were damaged. Irish chemistsThomas and George Knox
developed fluorite apparatus for working with hydrogen fluoride, but nonetheless were severely poisoned. Thomas nearly died and George was disabled for three years. French chemistHenri Moissan
was poisoned several times, which shortened his life. Belgian chemistPaulin Louyet
and French chemistJérôme Nicklès
tried to follow the Knox work, but they died from HF poisoning even though they were aware of the dangers.