Calling DU chemistry majors or PhDs....

[ikojo]

what is more appropriate usage when discussing flouride as a chemical...

Is it flouRIDE or
flouRINE?

A friend needs this for an article he is working on.

Thank you very much for your help.

[GoBlue]

1. Depends

Flouride is the ionic form of the element fluorine, which is a gas at normal temp and pressure. Compounds contain flouride eg. toothpaste. I would guess most usages would be in the context of fluoride.

[NNadir]

2. Flourine, the elemental form, is extremely reactive and is seldom

encountered outside of industrial process and laboratory settings.

Therefore it is almost certain, unless you are writing about one of these situations, that you will be using the word fluoride.

If you give us context, we can clarify further.