Phosphorus
hidePhosphorus (pronounced /ˈfɒsfərəs/) 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. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms - white phosphorus and red phosphorus. Although the term "phosphorescence", meaning glow after illumination, derives from phosphorus, glow of phosphorus originates from oxidation of the white (but not red) phosphorus and should be called chemiluminescence.
Due to its high reactivity, phosphorus is never found as a free element in nature on Earth. The first form of phosphorus to be discovered (white phosphorus, discovered in 1669) emits a faint glow upon exposure to oxygen — hence its name given from Greek mythology, Φωσφόρος meaning "light-bearer" (Latin Lucifer), referring to the "Morning Star", the planet Venus.
Phosphorus is a component of DNA, RNA, ATP, and also the phospholipids which form all cell membranes. It is thus an essential element for all living cells. The most important commercial use of phosphorus-based chemicals is the production of fertilizers.
Phosphorus compounds are also widely used in explosives, nerve agents, friction matches, fireworks, pesticides, toothpaste and detergents.
For more information about Phosphorus, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with phosphorus
Small increases in phosphorus mean higher risk of heart disease
Nov 05, 2009 |
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Higher levels of phosphorus in the blood are linked to increased calcification of the coronary arteries— a key marker of heart disease risk, according to a study in an upcoming issue of Clinical Journal of the American So ...
Quantum Computer Chips Now One Step Closer To Reality
Oct 15, 2009 |
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In the quest for smaller, faster computer chips, researchers are increasingly turning to quantum mechanics -- the exotic physics of the small. The problem: the manufacturing techniques required to make quantum devices have ...
By Simulating Gullies, Geographers Discover Ways to Tame Soil Erosion
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 12, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Dead zones in critical waterways, accelerated loss of arable land and massive famines. They're all caused by the 24 billion tons of soil that are lost every year to erosion, a phenomenon that ...
Searching for Alien Life, on Earth
Oct 05, 2009 |
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If you spend an afternoon walking along the muddy shore of Mono Lake, with the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada mountains looming majestically in the background, you’ll no doubt discover, as others have ...
Mystery Solved: Marine Microbe Is Source of Rare Nutrient
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study of microscopic marine microbes, called phytoplankton, by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of South Carolina has solved a ten-year-old ...
New research to unravel how nutrients drive toxic 'brown tides' on East Coast
Sep 17, 2009 |
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NOAA has awarded Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution $120,000 as part of an anticipated three-year, nearly $500,000 project, to determine how nitrogen and phosphorus promote brown tides on the East Coast. ...
Perennial vegetation, an indicator of desertification in Spain
Sep 04, 2009 |
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A team of scientists has analyzed 29 esparto fields from Guadalajara to Murcia and has concluded that perennial vegetation cover is an efficient early warning system against desertification in these ecosystems. ...
Water quality improves after lawn fertilizer ban, study shows
Aug 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In an effort to keep lakes and streams clean, municipalities around the country are banning or restricting the use of phosphorus-containing lawn fertilizers, which can kill fish and cause ...
Silicon with afterburners: New process could be boon to electronics manufacturer
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Jul 23, 2009 |
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Scientists at Rice University and North Carolina State University have found a method of attaching molecules to semiconducting silicon that may help manufacturers reach beyond the current limits of Moore's ...
Feed your crop, not the weeds
Jun 23, 2009 |
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If you have weed problems in your cropping system, will adding nutrients just feed the weeds?
Newly discovered snow roots are 'evolutionary phenomenon'
Jun 12, 2009 |
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It may not be the Yeti, but in a remote region of the Russian mountains a previously unknown and entirely unique form of plant root has been discovered. Lead Scientist Professor Hans Cornelissen and his Russian-Dutch team ...
Double trouble for water life
May 18, 2009 |
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Excess phosphorus and nitrogen produced by human activities on neighboring land is making its way into our coastal waters and degrading both water quality and aquatic life. Although historically the priority has been to control ...
Synthesis with a template: Carbon-free fullerene analogue
Apr 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team led by Manfred Scheer at the University of Regensburg has now synthesized the first example of an inorganic, carbon-free C80 analogue.
Mighty diatoms: Global climate feedback from microscopic algae
Mar 17, 2009 |
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Tiny creatures at the bottom of the food chain called diatoms suck up nearly a quarter of the atmosphere's carbon dioxide, yet research by Michigan State University scientists suggests they could become less able to "sequester" ...
Researchers call for nitrogen and phosphorus reductions to combat eutrophication in aquatic systems
Feb 19, 2009 |
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An international group of scientists is renewing calls for policymakers to reduce both nitrogen and phosphorus when attempting to alleviate eutrophication - or nutrient pollution problems - in fresh and coastal waters. In ...
