Phosphorus

By Lisa Pinatti and Suzie Kim

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=Getting to Know Phosphorus =

Introduction:
 Name: Phosphorus  Symbol: P  Atomic Number: 15  Atomic Mass: 30.973  Classification: Nonmetal  Color: White

 Phosphorus is an important mineral that every cell in the body needs to function normally. It is found in nervous tissue, bones, and cell protoplasm. The majority of phosphorus found in the body is PO﻿﻿4, about 85% of phosphorus is found in bone. Phosphorus is found in three different forms: white (or yellow), red, and black (or violet). White phosphorus is a waxy solid. When it makes contact with air, it spontaneously catches fire. When exposed to sunlight, white phosphorus turns into red phosphorus. It does not spontaneously catch fire. Red is more stable than white phosphorus because it is not as flammable.

History and Uses:


Phosphorus was discovered in 1669 by a physician named Hennig Brand in Hamburg, Germany. He was the first to successfully isolate the element by boiling and processing 50-60 buckets of urine. Luckily, phosphorus can also be obtained in other ways, including from phosphate rock. Phosporus's name comes from the Greek words phôs (light) and phoros (bearer) as a result of its violent fire reaction with air. Phosphorus compounds have many modern uses and can be found in products that we use every day, including matches, pesticides, toothpastes, fertilizers and many others. It plays a large role in the field of agriculture because it is one of the three essential elements added to fertilizers. Phosphoric acid (H﻿3PO﻿4) is one of the ingredients of soft drinks because of the sour or tangy flavor it gives the drink. There is some controversy of phosphoric acid in soda because some believe that it leads to lower bone density, but Pepsi disputed these accusations with their studies of phosphorus that showed that a lack of phosphorus in a person's diet is the cause of the low bone density. Another form of phosphorus, trisodium phosphate (Na﻿3PO﻿﻿4), is used as an industrial cleaner that is most commonly used to prepare walls for painting and removing mold. Trisodium phosphate can also be used as a water softener. Phosphorus also has medical uses, including the treatment of hypophosphatemia (lack of phosphorus in the body), hypercalcemia (excessive amount of calcium in the blood) and some cases of kidney stones.

Economic Importance:
 Hennig Brand discovered when phosphorus was heated up with coal then nitric or sulfuric acid is produced. This is called elementary phosphorus. Elementary phosphorus was used in pyrotechnic (relating to fireworks) applications such as fireworks, luminous projectiles, and matches. It is also used during the production of insecticides/pesticides or addictive industrial oils. Phosphorus acid is also used as additives in drinks and cleaning agent of metals. Phosphorus can also be in the form of phosphate salts. These phosphate salts come from rocks that have been extracted and mixed with potash and ammonia salts to make fertilizers. Without fertilizers, most of the food grown would not be as abundant as it is now. The escalating world population is dependent on fertilizers or else the world will starve. So if you own a cow, save it's dung. It will save you from starvation (indirectly of course). Phosphate salts are also used in detergents. Condensed phosphates are used in water treatments too for industries using... well...... water. People use phosphorus compounds on a daily basis like shampoo, lubricants (the kind you use for the car), and toothpaste. What's ironic about phosphorus is that the white form of phosphorus is used to start fires but the chemical compounds derived from it can stop/reduce fire hazzards. Almost everything made is flammable so it is necessary to use plasticizers which have phoshorus compounds that can be made into small molecules or polymers.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**Phosphorus In Nature:**

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Phosphorus can naturally be found in phosphate rock, in soil and in plants. Phosphorus is mostly commonly stored in rocks and as a result, phosphorus stays close within its ecosystem because its movement is restricted. Fifty-three million tons of phosphate are produced every year, most of which is extracted from phosphate rock. Phosphate can primarily be mined in areas of Russia, Tunisia, Tongo and Morocco. Phosphorus has a crustal abundance of 1.05x10﻿﻿3 milligrams per kilogram and an oceanic abundance of 6x10﻿﻿﻿﻿-2 milligrams per liter. Phosphorus moves through the ecosystem methodically through a system known as the phosphorus cycle. In this cycle, phosphates in rocks are broken down as a result of precipitation and weathering, and the phosphates either travel into bodies of water where they form sedimentary rocks along with other elements or sink into the soil. Once in the soil, the phosphates are absorbed by plants, which are then eaten by animals. The phosphates return to the soil as a dead animal undergoes decomposition. Therefore, phosphorus plays a large role in the transfer of energy within an ecosystem and the growth of plant life. Sufficient levels of phosphorus are required for the maintaining of plant life, but an excessive amount of it in water sources can be harmful. Elevated levels of phosphorus in ponds and lakes leads to excessive algae growth.

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**Health:**

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Without phosphorus, the body would not be able to function properly. It is a major constructural component of bone. DNA and RNA are needed to store and transmit genetic information. They contain a long chain of phosphate-contained molecules. Enzymes and hormones depend on a phosphorus related process to help activate them. Phosphorus is a base that helps balance the body's acidity. A molecule that contains phosphorus binds to red blood cells which are delivered to tissues for oxygen. This element also helps filter out waste in the kidneys. It is necessary for growth, maintenance, and repair of the body. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Although there are many roles that phosphorus plays into the human body, too much phosphorus, also called hyperphosphatemia, can also harm one's body. If there is too much phosphorus, it effects the body's' processing of calcium. The more phosphorus you eat, the more calcium you need to eat. Consuming too little phosphorus (hypophosphatemia) there is "muscle weakness, tingling sensations, tremors, and bone weakness. Hypophosphatemia may also result in confusion and memory loss, seizures, and coma."

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Chemistry Of Phosphorus:
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Atomic Mass: 30.974 amu <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Number of Protons: 15 <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Number of Electrons: 15 <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Number of Neutrons: 16 <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Melting Point: 44.1° C <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Boiling Point: 280.0° C <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Electron Configuration: 1s﻿22s﻿22p﻿﻿﻿﻿63s﻿23p3 <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Isotope || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Mass || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Half-Life ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">﻿P-29 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">28.982 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">4.14 seconds ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">P-30 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">29.978 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">2.50 mins ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">P-31 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">30.974 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">stable ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">P-32 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">31.974 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">14.28 days ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">P-33 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">32.972 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">24.3 days ||

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Oh. Em. Gee! Did you know...
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">1) Phosphorus is defined as poisonous and highly reactive yet it is one of the most important minerals in our bodies necessary for life. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">2) Phosphorus is not spelled with an "o"! It is NOT phosphorous. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">3) Red phosphorus is used for meth <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> 4) White phosphorus was used in grenades in WWII (yeah... WAY back then) and burned through flesh and make a hole in the body part.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Sources:

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> [] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> @http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/p.html <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> [] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> [] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> [] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> [] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> @http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/p.html <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> [] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> []