Alex G. Streng was an experimental chemist, notable for his work with

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electronegative reactive element, it is extremely reacti ...

compounds. His work on the synthesis and properties of

dioxygen difluoride Dioxygen difluoride is a compound of fluorine and oxygen with the molecular formula O2F2. It can exist as an orange-colored solid which melts into a red liquid at . It is an extremely strong oxidant and decomposes into oxygen and fluorine even ...

, published in 1963 in the '' Journal of the American Chemical Society'', is notorious for Streng's willingness to push the limits of experimental endeavour with this highly reactive and dangerous material. He was married to

Lucia V. Streng Lucia V. Streng (November 6, 1909 – April 28, 1995) was a Russian Empire-born American chemist. She spent much of her career studying the noble gases and their properties, successfully synthesizing krypton difluoride. She and her husband, Alex ...

, who was also known for her work with fluorine compounds. The Strengs fled Russia in the 1940s, moving first to Germany, then to Philadelphia in the United States, where both eventually took research posts at Temple University.

References

Inorganic chemists Fluorine 20th-century chemists 20th-century deaths Year of birth missing Place of birth missing Year of death missing Place of death missing {{chemist-stub