Phosphorus
Phosphorus is a very queer element. It is generally a reddish solid, rock-like and crumbly (except in the white variant shown here).

Name: Phosphorus

Symbol: P

Atomic #: 15

Atomic wt: 30.97

Family: Non-metal.

Group: 5A

Period #: 2

Orbitals: 3

(electron configuration 2-8-5)

This is a sample of white phosphorus.
This is a diagram of the atomic structure of phosphorus
Phosphorus is used in any of the following:
  1. Safety matches
  2. Pyrotechnics
  3. Incendiary shells
  4. Smoke bombs
  5. Tracer bullets
  6. Fertilizers
  7. Pesticides
It has a lot of unusual properties like:

1. Phosphorus does not melt, it sublimes at 417 degrees.

2. Phosphorus explodes when exposed to damp air.

3. Phosphorus is a key part of human DNA.

Phosphorus was discovered in 1669 by Hennig Brand, who extracted it from urine. Not less than 50-60 buckets per experiment in fact, each of which took over 2 weeks to finish.
Arsenic is extracted from phosphorus by passing the mixture of the two through a heat exchanger, vaporizing said phosphorus, and passing it into a fractionating zone at sub-atmospheric pressure, which after many more unlistable steps due to my lack of scientific vocabulary, is condensed back into a solid that we can sometimes see on the market.
by Noah Perline
Phosphorus Phun Phacts
Historical Information
Common Uses
Visual Descriptionn
For more information on the elements, click here to go to the It's Elementary homepage.

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