{"id":356,"date":"2020-04-09T11:17:14","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T11:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=356"},"modified":"2023-08-15T10:51:10","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T10:51:10","slug":"phosphorus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/phosphorus\/","title":{"rendered":"Phosphorus (P)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Phosphorus is a chemical element with the atomic number 15 in the periodic table. It is the eleventh most abundant element in Earth\u2019s crust, with an occurrence of about 0.1% ppm. Due to its high reactivity, phosphorus does not occur freely in nature. Being a member of the nitrogen<\/a> family of periodic table elements<\/a>, this monoisotopic element has five valence electrons and glows with bright light in the dark. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biological significance of this pnictogen element is immeasurable since phosphorus is in the cells and tissues of all living forms on Earth. Namely, phosphorus is an essential mineral required for proper skeletal and nervous system formation, as well as the formation of plants and animals\u2019 cytoplasm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Phosphorus<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
The symbol in the periodic table of elements<\/td>P<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic number<\/td>15<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic weight (mass)<\/td>30.9738 g.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Group number<\/td>15 (Pnictogen; nonmetal)<\/td><\/tr>
Period<\/td>3 (p-block)<\/td><\/tr>
Color<\/td>White, yellow, red, violet, or black (depending on the allotrope)<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>Solid at room temperature<\/td><\/tr>
Half-life<\/td>From less than 30 nanoseconds to 25.34 days<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity according to Pauling<\/td>2.19<\/td><\/tr>
Density<\/td>1.823 g.cm-3 at 20\u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Melting point<\/td>44.15\u00b0C, 111.47\u00b0F, 317.3 K<\/td><\/tr>
Boiling point<\/td>280.5\u00b0C, 536.9\u00b0F, 553.7 K<\/td><\/tr>
Van der Waals radius<\/td>1.04 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic radius<\/td>0.34 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Isotopes<\/td>23<\/td><\/tr>
Most characteristic isotope<\/td>31P<\/td><\/tr>
Electronic shell<\/td>[Ne]3s23p3<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the first ionization<\/td>10.118 eV<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the second ionization<\/td>19.725 eV<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the third ionization<\/td>29.141 eV<\/td><\/tr>
Discovery date<\/td>In 1669 by Hennig Brand<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With the periodic table symbol P, atomic number 15, atomic mass of X g.mol-1, and electron configuration X, phosphorus is a nonmetal substance with 3 main allotropes – black, red, and white. It reaches its boiling point at X, while the melting point is achieved at 44.15\u00b0C, 111.47\u00b0F, 317.3 K. Phosphorus has an electronegativity of 280.5\u00b0C, 536.9\u00b0F, 553.7 K according to Pauling, whereas the atomic radius according to van der Waals is 1,04 \u00c5.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pure, elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus, and red phosphorus. The black phosphorus is a less pure variant of element 15. In addition, this chemical element occurs in a form of phosphates, organophosphates, or mineral forms.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This soft, nonmetal substance possesses some strong toxic and explosive properties. While white phosphorus is highly reactive and spontaneously ignites when it comes into contact with air, the red form of this chemical is the least reactive of the two basic forms, and it ignites by friction. White phosphorus also has poor conducting properties and emits a weak green luminescence in the presence of oxygen<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Phosphorus Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The story on the discovery of phosphorus is truly a serendipitous one – and started a new chapter of modern-day chemistry. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To begin with, in 1669 the German alchemist and a bankrupt merchant Hennig Brand was intrigued by the \u201cphilosopher\u2019s stone\u201d and the ways he could turn it into gold<\/a> and regain his financial power.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this, he tried an experiment with urine to achieve his dream – make gold out of a simple substance. Brand submitted the urine to all types of processes – he filtered and boiled it in order to trigger its evaporation which would produce salts. But, before all these procedures, this alchemist left the urine to rot. He believed that the resulting urine vapor would condense into gold in the end. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He did achieve a great thing; only it wasn\u2019t the yellowish-copper <\/a>precious metal he wished for. The substance produced as a result of his extensive experiment was white. It burnt with a brilliant light and glowed in the dark. It was an amazingly wondrous sight, indeed! Due to this, Hennig Brandt named his newly discovered substance \u201cphosphorus mirabilis\u201d, i.e. \u201cthe miraculous bearer of light\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, since Brand was interested more in improving his financial situation, he sold the scientific evidence from his experiment to Johann Daniel Kraft, Kunckel von Lowenstern, and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believing that the German alchemist really did discover the \u2018philosopher’s stone\u2019, they all replicated his experiment until the 1770s when the Swedish scientist Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered a new way to produce the new element. Namely, he observed that bones dissolved in sulfuric acid are a great source of phosphoric acid which, exposed to heat, produces white phosphorus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Phosphorus Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The name of this chemical element originates from the Greek word \u2018<\/span>phosphoros<\/span><\/i>\u2019,\u00a0 denoting \u201c the bringer of light\u201d. The substance Brand discovered was indeed luminous in the dark. When exposed to oxygen, it emitted a green-white light.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Phosphorus?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Phosphorus is an essential mineral for humans, plants, animals, and all other life forms. It\u2019s a building block of the cells and is integrated into almost all living tissues. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to its highly reactive nature, the pure, elemental form of phosphorus cannot be found in nature. But, despite this fact,  this element is widely distributed as a part of phosphate rocks that contain the mineral labeled as apatite which is the main source of phosphorus. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The largest fluoroapatite mines are located in Russia, the United States, Morocco, Tunisia, Togo, and Nauru.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Phosphorus in Everyday Life<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This chemical element is part of almost every known life form on Earth. Not only does phosphorus support the biological functions of humans, plants, and animals, but it is also one of the most important constituents of the things we use in our everyday life. For instance:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n