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Phosphorus Details at Science Fair Adventure

Phosphorus

15

P

30.973762(

  • Name: Phosphorus
  • Symbol: P
  • Atomic number: 15
  • Atomic weight: 30.973762(
  • CAS Registry ID: 7723-14-0
  • Group name: Pnictogen
  • Period number: 3
  • Block: p-block
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Description

Phosphorus is a nonmetal that is a solid in its natural state. It can vary in colors from red, silvery white, and black, has a melting point of 111.6 °F, and has a boiling point of 531 °F. The different forms of allotropes that phosphorus forms cause the variety in colors and reactivity characteristics. Some common uses of phosphorus include: as a component in safety matches, smoke bombs, tracer bullets, and fireworks, as an ingredient in fertilizers and pesticides, and in the production of chinaware, steel, and bronze.

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Isolation

Phosphorus is extremely reactive, and so it is not found free in nature. Isolation procedures to reduce phosphorus are carried out with great care.

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Phosphorus sources that are used for large scale commercial isolation purposes come from minerals which contain phosphate rock. Most of these phosphate rocks are composed of a tri-calcium phosphate mineral called apatite; this mineral does not contain pure phosphate, but it provides a ready supply for isolation. The main chemical process that is used to isolate phosphorus from phosphorus minerals uses high amounts of energy; the high amounts of energy make this process inefficient for small scale laboratory isolations.

In the phosphorus isolation process, phosphorus minerals are heated with carbon and sand in an electric furnace. The calcium and phosphorus from the minerals, silicon from the sand, and carbon are reacted in the furnace at a temperature of 2732 °F. The resulting chemicals from the reaction are carbon dioxide, phosphorus, and calcium silicon oxygen compound. Pure phosphorus, depending on the allotrope that is isolated, can be toxic and highly explosive.


General
Name Phosphorus
Symbol P
Number 15
Chemical series nonmetals
Group 15
Period 3
Block 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
Atomic properties
Crystal structure
Oxidation states ±3, 5, 4 (mildly acidic oxide)
Electronegativity 2.19 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies 1st: 1011.8 kJ·mol−1
(more) 2nd: 1907 kJ·mol−1
(more) 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
Physical properties
Phase
Density (near r.t.) (white) 1.823 g·cm−3
Liquid density at m.p.
Melting point (white) 317.3 K (44.2 °C, 111.6 °F)
Boiling point 550 K (277 °C, 531 °F)
Critical point
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
Miscellaneous
Magnetic ordering
Electrical resistivity
Thermal conductivity (300 K) (white) 0.236 W·m−1·K−1
Thermal expansion
Speed of sound (thin rod)
Young's modulus
Shear modulus
Bulk modulus 11 GPa
Poisson ratio
Mohs hardness
Vickers hardness
Brinell hardness
CAS registry number 7723-14-0