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Elemental phosphorus is obtained by heating phosphate rock with coke and silica
in an electric furnace at about 1770 K. The phosphorus so formed is white
phosphorus.
The reaction may be represented as:
There are three principal allotropic forms of Phosphorus. These are white
phosphorus, red phosphorus and black phosphorus.
(a) White phosphorus or Yellow phosphorus
(i) It is a soft waxy solid with garlic smell.
(ii) It is poisonous in nature.
(iii) It turns yellowish on exposure to light. For this reason, it is also called yellow
phosphorus.
(iv) It is not soluble in water but soluble in carbon disulphide.
(v) It undergoes spontaneous combustion in air and produces greenish glow.
(vi) It exists as P4 molecules both in solid and vapor state. The four atoms in
P4molecule occupy the corners of regular tetrahedron as shown in Fig. 7
(b) Red Phosphorus
It is prepared by heating white phosphorus to about 540 K in an inert atmosphere
of nitrogen for several hours.
Uses of phosphorus
Phosphorus compounds play an important role in life processes. P is an essential
constituent of animal and plant matter. It is present in bones, blood and brain of
animal body and also in living cells. Several of its compounds have also industrial
applications. The most important of these chemicals are orthophosphoric acid and
phosphatic fertilizers.