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

他们制造出的这种物质是，人类所知的最剧烈的剂。

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

如今还在生产并被半导体公司用来洁设备，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，美国科学家首次尝试大量运输，钢罐爆裂，整整一吨溢出去。

Chlorine trifluoride is so good at this that it can burn stuff that sane people might think of as non flammable, like bricks or asbestos or things that have already been burned.

则厉害到会让常人看来无法起火的东西烧起来，比如砖块、石棉或者其他已经燃烧过了的东西。