Bromotrifluoromethane, commonly referred to by the code numbers Halon 1301, R13B1, Halon 13B1 or BTM, is an organic halide with the chemical formula CBrF3. It is used for gaseous fire suppression as a far less toxic alternative to bromochloromethane.
Warning sign for fire suppression system
Civilian Halon 1301 fire extinguisher, USA, 1980s
Halon 1301 hazard sign, with instructions upon gas discharge.
Bromine is a chemical element; it has symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a similarly coloured vapour. Its properties are intermediate between those of chlorine and iodine. Isolated independently by two chemists, Carl Jacob Löwig and Antoine Jérôme Balard, its name was derived from the Ancient Greek βρῶμος (bromos) meaning "stench", referring to its sharp and pungent smell.
Liquid and gas bromine inside transparent cube
Antoine Balard, one of the discoverers of bromine
View of salt evaporation pans on the Dead Sea, where Jordan (right) and Israel (left) produce salt and bromine
Baltimore's Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower, originally part of the headquarters of Emerson Drug Company, which made Bromo-Seltzer
