What they'd concocted was chlorine trifluoride, the most vigorous fluorinating agent known to humanity.

造出的这种物质是三氟化氯，人类所知的最剧烈的氟化剂。

Chlorine trifluoride is still manufactured and is used by semi-conductor companies to clean their equipment to within an inch of its life.

如今三氟化氯在生产并被半导体公司用来清洁设备，以极其小心的方式。

And the early 1950s, the first time that US scientists tried to ship chlorine trifluoride in bulk, the steel tank cracked and a full ton of it spilled out.

20世纪50年代初，美家首次尝试大量运输三氟化氯，结果钢罐爆裂，整整一吨三氯化氟溢出去。