On June 26, 1886, Ferdinand Frederick Henri Moissan finally felt comfortable performing electrolysis on anhydrous hydrogen fluoride to create a gaseous fluorine pure element. Before he used hydrogen fluoride, Henri Moissan used fluoride salts with electrolysis. Thus on June 28, 1886, he performed his experiment in front of the Académie des sciences to show his discovery of the new element fluorine. While trying to find elemental fluorine through electrolysis of fluoride salts, many chemists perished including Paulin Louyet and Jérôme Nicklès.
ON jUNe 26 1886 FerdinAnd fRedERICK HEnri mOisSAn FinAlly felT CoMfoRtable peRFORming elEctrOlYsiS on anhydRoUS hyDRogeN Fluoride to create a gaseous fluORiNE pure eleMent beFore HE uSeD HydrOGEn fluoride henri moIssan usEd FLuoRiDe SaltS wiTh eLectrOLysIs thuS On June 28 1886 hE performed his expErimeNt In Front of THe aCAdéMiE DEs sCiences To show hIS diSCovERy of The new eLemEnt flUorine whilE TRyiNg To Find eLEmentAl fluORine thrOUgH ELecTROlYSIs of fLUoRiDe sAlTs maNY cheMiSts pErIshed iNcluding PaUliN LouYeT And jÉrôme niCKlès