Editing Bromine (section)

==Occurrence and production==
[[File:STS028-96-65.jpg|thumb|View of salt evaporation pans on the Dead Sea, where [[Jordan]] (right) and Israel (left) produce salt and bromine]]
Bromine is significantly less abundant in the crust than fluorine or chlorine, comprising only 2.5&nbsp;[[parts per million]] of the Earth's crustal rocks, and then only as bromide salts. It is significantly more abundant in the oceans, resulting from long-term [[Leaching (chemical science)|leaching]]. There, it makes up 65&nbsp;parts per million, corresponding to a ratio of about one bromine atom for every 660 chlorine atoms. Salt lakes and brine wells may have higher bromine concentrations: for example, the [[Dead Sea]] contains 0.4% bromide ions.<ref name="Greenwood795">Greenwood and Earnshaw, pp. 795–6</ref> It is from these sources that bromine extraction is mostly economically feasible.<ref name="o1">{{Cite journal|title = Minerals From Sea Salt|first = John A.|last = Tallmadge|author2 = Butt, John B.|author3 = Solomon Herman J.|journal = Ind. Eng. Chem.|date = 1964|volume = 56 |pages = 44–65| doi = 10.1021/ie50655a008|issue = 7}}</ref><ref name="o2">{{Cite journal|journal = Clinics in Dermatology|volume = 14 |date = 1996|pages = 659–664|doi = 10.1016/S0738-081X(96)00101-0|pmid = 8960809 |title = Climatotherapy at the Dead Sea in Jordan|first = Oumeish Youssef|last = Oumeish|issue = 6}}</ref><ref name="o3">{{Cite journal|journal = Hydrological Processes|volume = 14|issue = 1|pages = 145–154| date = 2008|title = The water balance of the Dead Sea: an integrated approach|first = Radwan A.|last = Al-Weshah|doi = 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1085(200001)14:1<145::AID-HYP916>3.0.CO;2-N|bibcode = 2000HyPr...14..145A }}</ref> Bromine is the tenth most abundant element in seawater.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Get the Facts About the Element Bromine |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/bromine-element-facts-606510 |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref>

The main sources of bromine production are [[Israel]] and [[Jordan]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Major countries in worldwide bromine production from 2018 to 2022 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/264926/world-bromine-production/ |publisher=Statista |access-date=26 April 2023}}</ref> The element is liberated by halogen exchange, using chlorine gas to oxidise Br{{sup|−}} to Br{{sub|2}}. This is then removed with a blast of steam or air, and is then condensed and purified.<ref>{{cite web |title=Process operations at Octel Amlwch |url=https://www.octelamlwch.co.uk/operations/ |website=Octel Bromine Works |access-date=27 July 2021 |archive-date=27 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727211804/http://www.octelamlwch.co.uk/operations/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Today, bromine is transported in large-capacity metal drums or lead-lined tanks that can hold hundreds of kilograms or even tonnes of bromine. The bromine industry is about one-hundredth the size of the chlorine industry. Laboratory production is unnecessary because bromine is commercially available and has a long shelf life.<ref name="Greenwood798">Greenwood and Earnshaw, pp. 798–9</ref>