Interesting facts about phosphorus the element
The 13th Element: The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire, and Phosphorus by John Emsley
The incredible glowing history of the Devils element phosphorusDiscovered by alchemists, prescribed by apothecaries, exploited by ninth-century industrialists, and abused by twentieth-century combatants, the chemical element phosphorus has fascinated us for more than three centuries. It may even be the cause of will-o-the wisps and spontaneous human combustion! Now John Emsley has written an enthralling account of this eerily luminescent element. Shining with wonderful nuggets-from murders-by-phosphorus to a match factory strike; from the firebombing of Hamburg to the deadly compounds derived from phosphorus today-The 13th Element weaves together a rich tableau of brilliant and oddball characters, social upheavals, and bizarre events.
PHOSPHORUS - Facts You Need to Know
Here are 10 fun phosphorus facts. Learn about the properties, history, and uses of this element, as well as interesting trivia.
John Emsley
10 Fun and Interesting Phosphorus Facts
What's in a name? From the Greek word for light bearing, phosphoros. In what is perhaps the most disgusting method of discovering an element, phosphorus was first isolated in by Hennig Brand, a German physician and alchemist, by boiling, filtering and otherwise processing as many as 60 buckets of urine. Thankfully, phosphorus is now primarily obtained from phosphate rock Ca 3 PO 4 2. Phosphorus has three main allotropes: white, red and black.
Phosphorus is element 15 on the periodic table , with the element symbol P. Because it is so chemically reactive, phosphorus is never found free in nature, yet you encounter this element in compounds and in your body. Here are 10 interesting facts about phosphorus:. Share Flipboard Email. Helmenstine holds a Ph. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Updated September 09,
Phosphorus, the 15th element on the periodic table, was first distilled by an alchemist searching for gold — searching, that is, in at least 60 buckets of urine.
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Phosphorus P , nonmetallic chemical element of the nitrogen family Group 15 [Va] of the periodic table that at room temperature is a colourless, semitransparent, soft, waxy solid that glows in the dark. Arabian alchemists of the 12th century may have isolated elemental phosphorus by accident, but the records are unclear.
Fifteenth 15 th element on the Periodic Table, Phosphorus is quite an interesting element. It was discovered by an alchemist and hence, the method of its extraction was not revealed. In this article on Phosphorus facts, we are going to learn a lot about this element including its history and discovery, characteristics, uses, abundance, isotopes and more. Are you ready for it? Okay, now that we have the list of isotopes of Phosphorus in tabular format, it is important that we move on to the facts promised.
Toggle navigation. Phosphorus Facts Phosphorus P has an atomic number of fifteen and therefore contains fifteen protons in the nucleus of one atom. It exists in nature in two key forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus. Interesting Phosphorus Facts: Hennig Brand discovered phosphorus in by extracting it from buckets of urine. It is sometimes referred to as the "Devil's Element," because it was the thirteenth element discovered and because of its explosive properties.
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Allotropes Some elements exist in several different structural forms, called allotropes.
10 Phosphorus Facts (P or Atomic Number 15)