Phosphorus

Phosphorus is a <a href="/facts/Chemical_element/0jducgWD">chemical element</a>; it has <a href="/facts/Chemical_symbol/2Fe1VAL0">symbol</a> P and <a href="/facts/Atomic_number/bgAr581S">atomic number</a> 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly <a href="/facts/Reactivity_(chemistry)/PuJ2pmRT">reactive</a> and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared artificially, the two most common <a href="/facts/Allotropes/2WUdHWxg">allotropes</a> being <a href="/facts/White_phosphorus/GarX3byj">white phosphorus</a> and <a href="/facts/Red_phosphorus/GarX3byj">red phosphorus</a>. With 31P as its only stable <a href="/facts/Isotope/KD9B1y6o">isotope</a>, phosphorus has an occurrence in <a href="/facts/Earth%2527s_crust/VSy2u31r">Earth's crust</a> of about 0.1%, generally as <a href="/facts/Phosphate_rock/nX6Cqkcc">phosphate rock</a>. A member of the <a href="/facts/Pnictogen/jX4hvCkK">pnictogen</a> family, phosphorus readily forms a wide variety of <a href="/facts/Organic_compound/gqCNaN45">organic</a> and <a href="/facts/Inorganic_compound/TfFfzxSz">inorganic</a> compounds, with as its main <a href="/facts/Oxidation_state/W53W6s6V">oxidation states</a> +5, +3 and −3.
The isolation of white phosphorus in 1669 by <a href="/facts/Hennig_Brand/4s9Mt3IL">Hennig Brand</a> marked the scientific community's first discovery since Antiquity of an element. The name phosphorus is a reference to the <a href="/facts/Phosphorus_(morning_star)/kUlzgeof">god of the Morning star</a> in <a href="/facts/Greek_mythology/M7k4FvW8">Greek mythology</a>, inspired by the faint glow of white phosphorus when exposed to <a href="/facts/Oxygen/acyn6o8r">oxygen</a>. This property is also at the origin of the term <a href="/facts/Phosphorescence/WshJFsKV">phosphorescence</a>, meaning glow after illumination, although white phosphorus itself does not exhibit phosphorescence, but <a href="/facts/Chemiluminescence/9LLwID4d">chemiluminescence</a> caused by its <a href="/facts/Oxidation/Pyd5RVcj">oxidation</a>. Its high <a href="/facts/Toxicity/qa96rs60">toxicity</a> makes exposure to white phosphorus very dangerous, while its <a href="/facts/Flammability/1QexTQ4T">flammability</a> and <a href="/facts/Pyrophoricity/1b8Sl2AJ">pyrophoricity</a> can be weaponised in the form of <a href="/facts/Incendiaries/Evu6eJWY">incendiaries</a>. Red phosphorus is less dangerous and is used in <a href="/facts/Match/EQPsJa7J">matches</a> and <a href="/facts/Fire_retardant/RkwChTJu">fire retardants</a>.
Most industrial production of phosphorus is focused on the mining and transformation of phosphate rock into <a href="/facts/Phosphoric_acid/l6NbwyCv">phosphoric acid</a> for <a href="/facts/Phosphate/FDGVCxUG">phosphate</a>-based <a href="/facts/Fertiliser/ysh3r6NJ">fertilisers</a>. Phosphorus is an essential and often <a href="/facts/Limiting_nutrient/IYufWHvx">limiting nutrient</a> for plants, and while natural levels are normally maintained over time by the <a href="/facts/Phosphorus_cycle/yp935hHr">phosphorus cycle</a>, it is too slow for the regeneration of soil that undergoes <a href="/facts/Intensive_cultivation/dHGtp0Im">intensive cultivation</a>. As a consequence, these fertilisers are vital to modern agriculture. The leading producers of phosphate ore in 2024 were China, Morocco, the United States and Russia, with two-thirds of the estimated exploitable phosphate reserves worldwide in Morocco alone. Other applications of phosphorus compounds include <a href="/facts/Pesticide/Uhf4KnwJ">pesticides</a>, <a href="/facts/Food_additive/jGk8zjn8">food additives</a>, and <a href="/facts/Detergent/4FLKXR6p">detergents</a>.
Phosphorus is essential to all known forms of <a href="/facts/Life/DNw7NUId">life</a>, largely through <a href="/facts/Organophosphate/u4U9GS4z">organophosphates</a>, organic compounds containing the phosphate ion PO3−4 as a <a href="/facts/Functional_group/GXkSPsjM">functional group</a>. These include <a href="/facts/DNA/nB89Iauz">DNA</a>, <a href="/facts/RNA/HxPeNfNj">RNA</a>, <a href="/facts/Adenosine_triphosphate/nB9bwgcU">ATP</a>, and <a href="/facts/Phospholipid/u6GhNCF5">phospholipids</a>, complex compounds fundamental to the functioning of all <a href="/facts/Cell_(biology)/bLM9UQvy">cells</a>. The main component of bones and teeth, <a href="/facts/Bone_mineral/L6LpbEYE">bone mineral</a>, is a modified form of <a href="/facts/Hydroxyapatite/SqcXuXVQ">hydroxyapatite</a>, itself a phosphorus mineral.

Phosphorus open-in-new

Phosphorus