|
|
| General |
| Name, symbol,
number |
phosphorus, P, 15 |
| Chemical series |
nonmetals |
| Group, period,
block |
15, 3, p |
| Appearance |
waxy white/ red/
black/ colorless
 |
| Standard atomic weight |
30.973762(2) g·mol−1 |
| Electron configuration |
[Ne] 3s2 3p3 |
| Electrons per shell |
2, 8, 5 |
| Density (near r.t.) |
(white) 1.823 g·cm−3 |
| Density (near r.t.) |
(red) 2.34 g·cm−3 |
| Density (near r.t.) |
(black) 2.69 g·cm−3 |
| Melting point |
(white) 317.3 K
(44.2 °C, 111.6 °F) |
| Boiling point |
550 K
(277 °C, 531 °F) |
| Heat of fusion |
(white) 0.66 kJ·mol−1 |
| Heat of vaporization |
12.4 kJ·mol−1 |
| Heat capacity |
(25 °C) (white)
23.824 J·mol−1·K−1 |
Vapor pressure (white)
| P/Pa |
1 |
10 |
100 |
1 k |
10 k |
100 k |
| at T/K |
279 |
307 |
342 |
388 |
453 |
549 |
|
Vapor pressure (red)
| P/Pa |
1 |
10 |
100 |
1 k |
10 k |
100 k |
| at T/K |
455 |
489 |
529 |
576 |
635 |
704 |
|
| Oxidation states |
±3, 5, 4
(mildly acidic oxide) |
| Electronegativity |
2.19 (Pauling scale) |
Ionization energies
(more) |
1st: 1011.8 kJ·mol−1 |
| 2nd: 1907 kJ·mol−1 |
| 3rd: 2914.1 kJ·mol−1 |
| Atomic radius |
100 pm |
| Atomic radius (calc.) |
98 pm |
| Covalent radius |
106 pm |
| Van der Waals radius |
180 pm |
| Miscellaneous |
| Magnetic ordering |
no data |
| Thermal conductivity |
(300 K) (white)
0.236 W·m−1·K−1 |
| Bulk modulus |
11 GPa |
| CAS registry number |
7723-14-0 |
| Selected isotopes |
|
|
| References |
|
Phosphorus, (IPA: /ˈfɒsfərəs/,
Greek: phôs meaning "light", and phoros meaning
"bearer"), is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus is commonly found in
inorganic phosphate rocks.
Due to its high reactivity, phosphorus is never found as a free element in nature. One form of phosphorus (white phosphorus)
emits a faint glow upon exposure to oxygen (hence its Greek derivation and the Latin 'light-bearer', meaning the planet Venus as Hesperus or "Morning Star").
Phosphorus is a component of DNA and RNA and an essential element
for all living cells. The most important commercial use of phosphorus-based chemicals is
the production of fertilisers.
Phosphorus compounds are also widely used in explosives, nerve agents, friction matches, fireworks, pesticides, toothpaste, and
detergents.
Characteristics and allotropes
Elemental phosphorus can exist in several allotropes, most commonly white, red and
black.
White phosphorus (P4) exists as individual molecules made up of
four atoms in a tetrahedral arrangement, resulting in very high ring strain and instability. It contains 6 single bonds.
White phosphorus is a yellow, waxy transparent solid. For this reason it is also called yellow phosphorus. It glows greenish
in the dark (when exposed to oxygen), is highly flammable and pyrophoric (self-igniting) upon contact with air as well as toxic
(causing severe liver damage on ingestion). The odour of combustion of this form has a characteristic garlic smell, and samples
are commonly coated with white "(di)phosphorus pentoxide", which consists of P4O10 tetrahedra with oxygen
inserted between the phosphorus atoms and at their vertices. White phosphorus is insoluble in water but soluble in carbon
disulfide.
The white allotrope can be produced using several different methods. In one process, calcium
phosphate, which is derived from phosphate rock, is heated in an electric or fuel-fired furnace in the presence of
carbon and silica[1]. Elemental phosphorus is then liberated as a vapour and can be collected
under phosphoric acid. This process is similar to the first synthesis of phosphorus from
calcium phosphate in urine.
Red phosphorus may be formed by heating white phosphorus to 250°C (482°F) or by exposing white phosphorus to sunlight.
Phosphorus after this treatment exists as an amorphous network of atoms which reduces
strain and gives greater stability, further heating results in the red phosphorus becoming crystalline. Red phosphorus does not
catch fire in air at temperatures below 240°C, whereas white phosphorus ignites at about 30°C.
In 1865 Hittorf discovered that when phosphorus was recrystallized from molten
lead a red/purple form is obtained. This purple form is sometimes known as "Hittorf's phosphorus",
In addition a fibrous form exists with similar phosphorus cages. Below is shown a chain of phosphorus atoms which exhibits both
the purple and fibrous forms.

One of the forms of red/black phosphorus is a cubic solid.[2]
Black phosphorus has an orthorhombic structure (Cmca) and is
the least reactive allotrope, it consists of many six-membered rings which are interlinked. Each atom is bonded to three other
atoms.[3][4] A recent synthesis of black phosphorus using metal salts as catalysts has been
reported.[5]
Glow
The glow from phosphorus was the attraction of its discovery around 1669, but the mechanism for that glow was not fully
described until 1974.[6] It
was known from early times that the glow would persist for a time in a stoppered jar but then cease. Robert Boyle in the 1680s ascribed it to "debilitation" of the air; in fact it is oxygen being consumed. By
the 18th century it was known that in pure oxygen phosphorus does not glow at all,[7] there is only a range of partial pressure where it does.
Heat can be applied to drive the reaction at higher pressures.[8]
In 1974 the glow was explained by R. J. van Zee and A. U. Khan.[6] A reaction with oxygen takes place at the surface of the solid (or liquid) phosphorus,
forming the short-lived molecules HPO and P2O2 that both emit visible light. The reaction is slow and only
very little of the intermediates is required to produce the luminescence, hence the extended time the glow continues in a
stoppered jar.
Although the term phosphorescence is derived from phosphorus, the reaction is
properly called luminescence (glowing by its own reaction, in this case chemoluminescence), not phosphorescence (re-emitting light that previously fell on it).
Applications
Concentrated phosphoric acids, which can consist of 70% to 75% P2O5 are very important to
agriculture and farm production in the form of fertilisers. Global demand for fertilizers
led to large increases in phosphate (PO43-) production in the second
half of the 20th century. Other uses;
- Phosphates are utilized in the making of special glasses that are used for sodium lamps.
- Bone-ash, calcium phosphate, is used in the production of fine china.
- Sodium tripolyphosphate made from phosphoric acid is used in laundry
detergents in several countries, and banned for this use in others.
- Phosphoric acid made from elemental phosphorus is used in food applications such as soda beverages. The acid is also a
starting point to make food grade phosphates[1]. These include mono-calcium phosphate which is employed in baking powder and sodium tripolyphosphate and other
sodium phosphates[1]. Among other uses
these are used to improve the characteristics of processed meat and cheese. Others are used in toothpaste[1]. Trisodium phosphate is used in cleaning agents to soften
water and for preventing pipe/boiler tube corrosion.
- Phosphorus is widely used to make organophosphorus compounds, through the
intermediates phosphorus chlorides and the two phosphorus sulfides: phosphorus pentasulfide, and phosphorus
sesquisulfide.[1] Organophosphorus
compounds have many applications, including in plasticizers, flame retardants, pesticides, extraction
agents, and water treatment.
- Phosphorus is also an important component in steel production, in the making of
phosphor bronze, and in many other related products.
- White phosphorus is used in military
applications as incendiary bombs, for smoke-screening as smoke pots and smoke bombs, and in tracer ammunition.
- Red phosphorus is essential for manufacturing matchbook strikers, flares,[1], safety matches, pharmaceutical grade and street methamphetamine, and is used in cap gun caps.
- Phosphorus sesquisulfide is used in heads of strike-anywhere matches[1].
- In trace amounts, phosphorus is used as a dopant for N-type semiconductors.
- 32P and 33P are used as radioactive tracers in biochemical laboratories (see Isotopes).
Biological role
Phosphorus is a key element in all known forms of life. Inorganic phosphorus in
the form of the phosphate PO43- plays a major role in biological molecules such as DNA and RNA where it
forms part of the structural framework of these molecules. Living cells also use phosphate to transport cellular energy via
adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Nearly every cellular process that uses energy gets
it in the form of ATP. ATP is also important for phosphorylation, a key regulatory event
in cells. Phospholipids are the main structural components of all cellular membranes.
Calcium phosphate salts are used by animals to stiffen their bones. An average
person contains a little less than 1 kg of phosphorus, about three quarters of which is present in bones and teeth in the form of
apatite. A well-fed adult in the industrialized world consumes and excretes about 1-3 g of
phosphorus per day in the form of phosphate. Phosphorus is an essential macromineral,
which is studied extensively in soil conservation in order to understand plant uptake
from soil systems.
In ecological terms, phosphorus is often a limiting nutrient in many environments; i.e. the availability of phosphorus governs the rate of growth of many
organisms. In ecosystems an excess of phosphorus can be problematic, especially in aquatic
systems, see eutrophication and algal blooms.
History
Phosphorus (Greek phosphoros was the ancient name for the planet
Venus, but in Greek mythology, Hesperus and
Eosphorus could be confused with Phosphorus) was discovered by German alchemist Hennig Brand in 1669 through a preparation from urine, which contains
considerable quantities of dissolved phosphates from normal metabolism. Working in Hamburg,
Brand attempted to distill some salts by evaporating urine,
and in the process produced a white material that glowed in the dark and burned brilliantly. Since that time, phosphorescence has
been used to describe substances that shine in the dark without burning.
Phosphorus was first made commercially, for the match industry, in the 19th century, by distilling off phosphorus vapor from
precipitated phosphates heated in a retort[1]. The precipitated phosphates were made from ground-up bones that had been
de-greased and treated with strong acids[1]. This process became obsolete in the late 1890s when the electric arc furnace was adapted to reduce phosphate rock[1].
Early matches used white phosphorus in their composition, which was dangerous due to its toxicity. Murders, suicides and
accidental poisonings resulted from its use. (An apocryphal tale tells of a
woman attempting to murder her husband with white phosphorus in his food, which was detected by the stew giving off luminous
steam.)[6] In addition,
exposure to the vapours gave match workers a necrosis of the bones of the jaw, the infamous
"phossy jaw." When a safe process for manufacturing red phosphorus was discovered, with its
far lower flammability and toxicity, laws were enacted, under a Berne Convention, requiring its
adoption as a safer alternative for match manufacture.
The electric furnace method allowed production to increase to the point where phosphorus could be used in weapons of
war.[6][1] In World War
I it was used in incendiaries, smoke screens and tracer bullets[1]. A special incendiary bullet was developed
to shoot at hydrogen-filled Zeppelins over Britain (hydrogen being highly inflammable if it can be
ignited)[1]. During World War II, Molotov cocktails of benzene and phosphorus were distributed in Britain to specially selected civilians within the British resistance
operation, for defence; and phosphorus incendiary bombs were used in war on a large scale. Burning phosphorus is difficult to
extinguish and if it splashes onto human skin it has horrific effects (see precautions below).
People covered in it have been known to commit suicide due to the torment.
Today phosphorus production is larger than ever. It is used as a precursor for various chemicals,[9] in particular the herbicide glyphosate sold
under the brand name Roundup. Production of white phosphorus takes place at large facilities and
it is transported heated in liquid form. Some major accidents have occurred during transportation, train derailments at
Brownston, Nebraska and Miamisburg, Ohio led to large
fires. The worst accident in recent times was an environmental one in 1968 when phosphorus spilled into the sea from a plant at
Placentia Bay, Newfoundland.
Occurrence
Due to its reactivity with air and many other oxygen-containing substances, phosphorus is not found free in nature but it is
widely distributed in many different minerals.
Phosphate rock, which is partially made of apatite (an impure tri-calcium phosphate mineral), is an important commercial
source of this element. Large deposits of apatite are located in China, Russia, Morocco, Florida, Idaho, Tennessee, Utah, and elsewhere.
Albright and Wilson in the United Kingdom and their Niagara Falls plant, for instance, were using phosphate rock in the 1890s and 1900s from Connetable, Tennessee and Florida; by 1950 they were using phosphate rock mainly from Tennessee and North
Africa[1]. In the early 1990s Albright
and Wilson's purified wet phosphoric acid business was being affected by phosphate rock sales by China and the entry of their
long standing Moroccan phosphate suppliers into the purified wet phosphoric acid business.[10]
See also Phosphate minerals.
Precautions
Organic compounds of phosphorus form a wide class of materials, some of which are extremely toxic. Fluorophosphate esters are among the most potent neurotoxins known. A wide range of organophosphorus compounds are used for their toxicity to certain
organisms as pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides etc) and weaponized as nerve agents. Most inorganic phosphates are relatively nontoxic and essential nutrients. For
environmentally adverse effects of phosphates see eutrophication and algal blooms.
The white phosphorus allotrope should be kept under water at all times as it presents a significant fire hazard due to its extreme reactivity with atmospheric oxygen, and it should only be manipulated with forceps
since contact with skin can cause severe burns. Chronic white phosphorus poisoning leads to
necrosis of the jaw called "phossy-jaw". Ingestion of white phosphorus may cause a medical
condition known as "Smoking Stool Syndrome". [11]
When the white form is exposed to sunlight or when it is heated in its own vapour to 250°C, it is transmuted to the red form,
which does not phosphoresce in air. The red allotrope does not spontaneously ignite in air and is not as dangerous as the white
form. Nevertheless, it should be handled with care because it reverts to white phosphorus in some temperature ranges and it also
emits highly toxic fumes that consist of phosphorus oxides when it is heated.
Upon exposure to elemental phosphorus, in the past it was suggested to wash the affected area with 2% copper sulfate solution to form harmless compounds that can be washed away. According to the recent
US Navy's Treatment of Chemical Agent Casualties and Conventional Military Chemical Injuries: FM8-285: Part 2 Conventional
Military Chemical Injuries, "Cupric (copper(II)) sulfate has been used by U.S. personnel in the past and is still being used
by some nations. However, copper sulfate is toxic and its use will be discontinued. Copper sulfate may produce kidney and
cerebral toxicity as well as intravascular hemolysis."[12]
The manual suggests instead "a bicarbonate solution to neutralize phosphoric acid, which will then allow removal of visible
WP. Particles often can be located by their emission of smoke when air strikes them, or by their phosphorescence in the dark. In
dark surroundings, fragments are seen as luminescent spots." Then, "Promptly debride the burn if the patient's condition will
permit removal of bits of WP which might be absorbed later and possibly produce systemic poisoning. DO NOT apply oily-based
ointments until it is certain that all WP has been removed. Following complete removal of the particles, treat the lesions as
thermal burns." As white phosphorus readily mixes with oils, any oily substances or ointments are not recommended until the area
is thoroughly cleaned and all white phosphorus removed.
Further warnings of toxic effects and recommendations for treatment can be found in the Emergency War Surgery NATO
Handbook: Part I: Types of Wounds and Injuries: Chapter III: Burn Injury: Chemical Burns And White Phosphorus injury.[13]
DEA List I status
Phosphorus can reduce elemental iodine to hydroiodic
acid, which is a reagent effective for reducing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine.[14] For this reason, two allotropes of elemental phosphorus—red phosphorus and white
phosphorus—were designated by the United States Drug Enforcement
Administration as List I precursor chemicals under 21 CFR 1310.02 effective November 17, 2001.[15] As a result, in the United
States, handlers of red phosphorus or white phosphorus are subject to stringent regulatory controls pursuant to the
Controlled Substances Act in order to reduce diversion of these substances for
use in clandestine production of controlled substances.[15][16][17]
As an exception to the octet rule
-
The simple Lewis structure for the trigonal bipyramidal PCl5 molecule contains five covalent bonds,
implying a hypervalent molecule with ten valence electrons contrary to the
octet rule.
An alternate description of the bonding, however, respects the octet rule by using 3-center-4-electron (3c-4e) bonds. In this model the octet on the P atom corresponds to
six electrons which form three Lewis (2c-2e) bonds to the three equatorial Cl atoms, plus the two electrons in the 3-centre
Cl-P-Cl bonding molecular orbital for the two axial Cl electrons. The two electrons in the corresponding nonbonding molecular
orbital are not included because this orbital is localized on the two Cl atoms and does not contribute to the electron density on P.
Isotopes
-
Radioactive isotopes of phosphorus
include
- 32P; a beta-emitter (1.71 MeV) with a half-life of 14.3 days which is used routinely in life-science laboratories, primarily to produce
radiolabeled DNA and RNA probes, e.g. for use in
Northern blots or Southern blots. Because the high
energy beta particles produced penetrate skin and corneas, and because any 32P
ingested, inhaled, or absorbed is readily incorporated into bone and nucleic acids,
OSHA requires that a lab coat, disposable gloves, and safety glasses or goggles be worn when working with 32P, and that working directly over an open container be avoided in
order to protect the eyes. Monitoring personal, clothing, and surface contamination is also
required. In addition, due to the high energy of the beta particles, shielding this
radiation with the normally used dense materials (e.g. lead), gives rise to secondary
emission of X-rays via a process known as Bremsstrahlung,
meaning braking radiation. Therefore shielding must be accomplished with low density
materials, e.g. Plexiglas, Lucite,
plastic, wood, or water.[18]
- 33P; a beta-emitter (0.25 MeV) with a half-life of 25.4 days. It is used in life-science laboratories in
applications in which lower energy beta emissions are advantageous such as DNA sequencing.
Spelling
According to the Oxford English Dictionary the correct spelling of the element is phosphorus. The word
phosphorous is the adjectival form for the P3+ valency: so, just as sulfur
forms sulfurous and sulfuric compounds, phosphorus forms phosphorous and phosphoric
compounds.
Compounds
See also Phosphorus compounds
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n
- ^ R. Ahuja, Physica Status Solidi, Sectio B: Basic Research, 2003,
235, 282-287
- ^ A. Brown, S. Runquist, Acta Crystallogr., 19 (1965)
684
- ^ Cartz, L.;Srinivasa, S.R.;Riedner, R.J.;Jorgensen, J.D.;Worlton, T.G.,
Journal of Chemical Physics, 1979, 71, 1718-1721
- ^ Stefan Lange, Peer Schmidt, and Tom Nilges, Inorganic Chemistry,
2007, 46, 4028
- ^ a b c
d Emsley, John (2000). The Shocking History of
Phosphorus. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-330-39005-8
- ^ Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1956 - Presentation Speech, by Professor A. Ölander (committee
member)
- ^ Phosphorus Topics page, at Lateral Science
- ^ Aall C. H. (1952). "The American Phosphorus
Industry". Industrial & Engineering Chemistry 44. DOI:10.1021/ie50511a018.
- ^ Podger, Hugh, (2002). Albright & Wilson: The Last 50
Years. Studley: Brewin Books. ISBN 1-85858-223-7
- ^ emedicine.com CBRNE - Incendiary Agents, White Phosphorus (Smoking Stool Syndrome)
- ^ US Navy's Treatment of Chemical Agent Casualties and Conventional Military Chemical Injuries:
FM8-285: Part 2 Conventional Military Chemical Injuries
- ^ Emergency War Surgery NATO Handbook: Part I: Types of Wounds and Injuries: Chapter III: Burn
Injury: Chemical Burns And White Phosphorus injury.
- ^ Skinner (1990). Methamphetamine Synthesis Via Hydriodic
Acid/Red Phosphorus Reduction of Ephedrine. Forensic Sci. Int'l, 48, 123-34.
- ^ a b 66 FR 52670—52675. 17 October 2001.
- ^ 21 CFR 1309