Phosphorus 1538347733, 9781538347737

Citation preview

ElemeNts oF

LIFE

PhospHorus Nancy dickMann

elements of

LIFE

phosphorus Nancy DIckMANN

Published in 2019 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. 29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010 Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Dickmann, Nancy. Title: Phosphorus / Nancy Dickmann. Description: New York : PowerKids Press, 2019. | Series: Elements of life | Includes glossary and index. Identifiers: ISBN 9781538347737 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781538347751 (library bound) | ISBN 9781538347744 (6pack) Subjects: LCSH: Phosphorus--Juvenile literature. | Periodic table of the elements--Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC QD181.P1 D53 2019 | DDC 546’.712--dc23 Copyright © 2019 Brown Bear Books Ltd For Brown Bear Books Ltd: Text and Editor: Nancy Dickmann Designer and Illustrator: Supriya Sahai Design Manager: Keith Davis Picture Manager: Sophie Mortimer Editorial Director: Lindsey Lowe Children’s Publisher: Anne O’Daly Concept development: Square and Circus/Brown Bear Books Ltd Picture Credits Front Cover: Artwork, Supriya Sahai. Interior: iStock: Artystarty, 17tr, bleshutterb, 9tr, 29bl, fotokostic, 20-21, 29tr, master1305, 16, Oat Phawat, 14b, PHOTOGraphics, 21tr, red2000, 8, renacal1, 13, 28, SolStock, 24, ssuaphoto, 25br; Public Domain: Alshaer666, 9bl, Derby Museum and Art Gallery/ LeisureMuseumsGalleries/Arttreasure/TheAlchymist, 14-15, Endimion17, 11; Science Photo Library: Charles D. Winters, 10; Shutterstock: B Brown, 22-23, Djelen, 25t, Jelloyd, 22l, Linnas, 19tr, NASA Images, 5, Olpo, 12, Positive Studio, 6-7, M Price, 21c. Key: t=top, b=bottom, c=center, l=left, r=right Brown Bear Books have made every attempt to contact the copyright holders. If you have any information please contact [email protected] All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. Manufactured in the United States of America CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch CWPK19: For Further Information contact Rosen Publishing, New York, New York at 1-800-237-9932

contents ELEMENTS ALL AROUND US ..........................4 RED AND WHITE .............................................6 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF PHOSPHORUS ..........8 CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF PHOSPHORUS ........ 10 WHERE IS PHOSPHORUS FOUND? ................12 DISCOVERING PHOSPHORUS ....................... 14 PHOSPHORUS IN THE BODY ........................ 16 PHOSPHORUS AND LIFE .............................. 18 FERTILIZERS ................................................20 PHOSPHATE PROBLEMS .............................. 22 USING PHOSPHORUS ................................... 24 The Periodic Table ....................................26 Quiz .............................................................28 Glossary .....................................................30 Further Resources .....................................31 Index ........................................................... 32

elements all around us Elements are everywhere. They cannot be broken down into other substances, but they can combine with other elements. Elements make up pebbles, pandas—and you! Oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur are the most important elements for life. Electrons Neutrons

Atoms and molecules Elements are made up of atoms, which are too small to see. Atoms are made up of even smaller parts: tiny particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. Atoms can stick together in a process called bonding. An atom might bond with an atom of the same element, or a different element. When two different elements combine, they form a compound. It might look and react very differently from the original elements.

4

Protons

The phosphorus Atom A phosphorus atom has 15 electrons, 15 protons, and 16 neutrons. Versions with different numbers of neutrons have been made in laboratories.

Phenomenal phosphorus Phosphorus may not be one of the most common elements in the universe, but it is essential for life. It is found in all living things and it plays an important role in life processes.

Scientists think that phosphorus forms when stars die in explosions called supernovas.

Natural or Not?

There are about 94 elements that are found in nature. Others have been made in laboratories.

5

Red and White An element can exist in different forms, called allotropes. Different allotropes are all made of the same type of atom, but the atoms are arranged in different ways. The two main allotropes of phosphorus are called red phosphorus and white phosphorus.

White phosphorus A molecule of white phosphorus is made up of four phosphorus atoms. Each of the atoms is bonded to each of the other three atoms. This forms a pyramid-like shape called a tetrahedron.

6

Molecules

Atoms join together to form molecules. A molecule may contain atoms of the same element, or atoms of many different elements. A molecule of a phosphorus allotrope contains only phosphorus atoms.

Red phosphorus In red phosphorus, the atoms link together. Red phosphorus can be produced by heating white phosphorus. At temperatures of 482°F (250°C) or above, the bond between two atoms in a tetrahedron is broken. Those two atoms bond to other tetrahedrons instead, forming a long chain.

A rainbow element Heating or other processes can produce other allotropes of phosphorus, including black, violet, and scarlet phosphorus. Just to make it more complicated, white phosphorus is sometimes called yellow phosphorus!

White phosphorus produces thick clouds of white smoke when it burns.

7

PHYSICAL properties

of phosphorus

Each element is different. Some of an element’s properties can be easily measured by using your senses to observe them. These are its physical properties.

Red phosphorus is used in the striking stips on matchboxes. Striking the match against the striking strip makes the match light.

8

Same, but different An element’s physical properties include its color and odor and how hard it is. Different allotropes of the same element can have very different properties. Red phosphorus and white phosphorus are so different that you might be fooled into thinking they are different elements!

White phosphorus STATE: solid at room

temperature

MELTING POINT: melts

at 111.4°F (44.1°C)

COLOR: white or yellowish ODOR: smells like matches

RED phosphorus STATE: solid at room

temperature

or garlic

MELTING POINT: melts TEXTURE: forms waxy lumps DISSOLVES IN WATER? No

at 1,090°F (590°C)

COLOR: dark red, orange, or purple

ODOR: no odor at room

Another allotrope, called black phosphorus, is black and flaky.

temperature

TEXTURE: powder DISSOLVES IN WATER? No 9

chemical properties

of phosphorus

An element’s chemical properties can only be observed when the element reacts with other elements or substances. White phosphorus is so reactive that it is stored underwater.

Changing chemicals When one element combines with another, the atoms of each element are rearranged. This is called a chemical change, and it results in new substances. An element’s chemical properties can be measured when a chemical change happens.

White phosphorus is very reactive. It reacts with oxygen in air and bursts into flames.

10

When white phosphorus reacts slowly with oxygen in the air, it glows in the dark.

all about phosphorus Here are a few of the chemical properties of white phosphorus:

It reacts so easily with oxygen that it ignites automatically when exposed to it.

Red Phosphorus

Compared to white phosphorus, red phosphorus is very unreactive. It does not easily combine with other elements.

When heated, phosphorus combines with metals to form compounds called phosphides.

White phosphorus reacts easily with a group of elements called the halogens. These include fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine.

11

where is

Phosphorus found?

Some elements, such as gold and carbon, are often found on their own, in their free form. Phosphorus, on the other hand, reacts so easily that on Earth it is never found on its own.

Phosphorus compounds Phosphorus on Earth is locked up in compounds, including minerals called phosphates. There are large deposits of phosphorus-rich minerals in the Middle East, China, Russia, North Africa, and the United States. Farmers rely on Apatite is the most phosphates as an ingredient of fertilizers. common phosphate

mineral. It comes in many colors but is usually green.

12

In the crust By weight, phosphorus makes up just under 0.1 percent of Earth’s crust. This phosphorus is found in compounds that make up many different minerals.

Unusual sources Throughout history, humans have gotten phosphorus from other sources, too. Ash from burned bones was an important source. So was human urine and guano (poop of seabirds and bats).

Phosphorus in space

In the 1800s, wars were fought over islands with large guano deposits.

There is phosphorus in the sun and other stars. Minerals that are rich in phosphorus have been found in some meteorites—space rocks that have landed on Earth. Some scientists believe that meteorites played an important role in building Earth’s supply of phosphorus.

13

Discovering

Phosphorus Although phosphorus is found in every living thing, scientists didn’t discover it until about 350 years ago.

looking for gold Hennig Brand was an alchemist working in Germany in the 1660s. Alchemists all had the same goal: they wanted to find a substance called the “philosopher’s stone.” They believed this stone could turn some metals into gold. They thought it could be used to produce a potion that would allow its drinker to live forever.

14

Hennig Brand ended up with a glowing substance instead of the philosopher’s stone.

Brand collected about 50 buckets of human urine and left them to stand in the sun for several weeks.

The urine began to evaporate, and Brand then boiled it down to a thick syrup.

He heated the syrup and collected the red oil that formed on the top.

Brand let the syrup sit in his cellar until it turned black.

The black substance was mixed with the red oil and heated.

The heating produced glowing fumes that turned into a shining white liquid. Brand had discovered phosphorus.

Light bearer Brand was fascinated by the substance he had produced. It hardened into a waxy lump that gave off an eerie glow. Flames appeared as the phosphorus reacted with oxygen in the air. Brand named this new element “phosphorus,” which means “light bearer.”

15

Phosphorus in

the body

Without phosphorus, life cannot exist. The small amounts of phosphorus in the human body play a very important role.

The big four About 96 percent of the human body is made up of just four elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. Phosphorus comes in sixth place, after calcium, making up about 1 percent of your body’s mass.

Phosphorus foods Eating phosphorus-rich foods helps to build strong teeth and bones. Milk and milk products such as cheese are high in phosphorus. Meat, fish, beans, lentils, nuts, and whole grains also have a lot of phosphorus.

16

phosphorus 1%

others

sulphur 0.3%

nitrogen 3%

Fibers called nerves carry messages from the brain throughout the body. Phosphorus helps transmit signals along nerves.

hydrogen 10%

CARBON 18%

There is phosphorus in every cell of the body, but about 85 percent of the body’s phosphorus is found in the bones and teeth. It works with calcium to give these body parts their strength.

oxygen 65%

A substance called DNA contains chemical codes that control traits. Phosphorus helps form the “backbone” for this long, twisting molecule.

Phosphorus helps muscles, including the heart, contract (squeeze).

phossy jaw In the 1800s, phosphorus was widely used for making matches. Workers in match factories breathed in phosphorus fumes. It made their jawbones glow in the dark. Eventually it ate the bone away. Many workers died from this condition, which was called “phossy jaw.”

17

Phosphorus

and Life

All living things need phosphorus. It moves from the soil to different organisms in a process called the phosphorus cycle. Wind and rain break down rocks containing phosphorus compounds called phosphates.

Some phosphates are transferred to the soil.

Some phosphates move into the water supply and are carried to the ocean.

18

Energy transfer Our bodies need energy to do work. The energy we get from food is stored in the form of a molecule called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This molecule helps to transfer energy from one cell to another. Phosphorus is an important component of ATP.

Plants take in phosphates from the soil.

Plant-eating animals eat the phosphate-rich plants.

Meat-eating animals get their phosphates by eating other animals.

Running out A lot of phosphorus ends up in the ocean, where it often sinks to the bottom. This removes it from the phosphorus cycle, and plants and animals can no longer use it. After many years, we will run out of phosphorus sources on Earth’s surface.

When a plant dies, its phosphates return to the soil.

19

Fertilizers Humans depend on farmers’ crops for food. To help their crops grow better, farmers use fertilizers. The key ingredient? Phosphorus!

Replacing phosphates Plants take phosphates out of the soil. In a natural setting, when plants die, they break down and their nutrients are returned to the soil. But when farmers harvest crops, they take the plants away. No nutrients are returned to the soil. To grow the next crop, farmers add fertilizer. It contains phosphates and other nutrients that plants need.

20

Ancient Fertilizer

Farmers have been using fertilizers for thousands of years. The earliest fertilizer was animal manure. Early farmers also used ground bone, ash, and guano.

Fertilizers containing phosphorus help farmers grow healthy crops.

Synthetic fertilizers In the 1830s, the English chemist John Bennet Lawes experimented with different fertilizers, testing them on potted plants and in the fields. In 1842 he developed a process for manufacturing fertilizer. He soon opened a factory that used this process, treating phosphate-rich rocks with sulfuric acid, to manufacture large amounts of fertilizer.

21

Phosphate

Problems Fertilizers have changed the way we farm, making it possible to feed the Earth’s growing population. But their use also has a downside.

Too much phosphorus Phosphates in fertilizer can easily end up in rivers, streams, and lakes. It can cause serious changes in these bodies of water, making conditions difficult for the plants and animals that live there.

22

Farmers put phosphate fertilizers on their fields.

When it rains, some fertilizer is washed away. It ends up in rivers and streams.

Nutrients in the fertilizer are good for algae and other plants. These plants grow rapidly.

Phosphate mining Mining phosphate rock damages the landscape. Giant shovels strip away the earth to reach the phosphate-rich rocks below. Large amounts of water are used to separate out the phosphate from the other materials.

When algae covers the surface, less sunlight can get through. Plants below the surface die if they don’t get enough sunlight.

Plants produce oxygen. If they die, there will be less oxygen in the water.

Dead plants are broken down by bacteria, which use up even more of the oxygen in the water. Mining phosphates often leaves huge holes in the ground.

If there is not enough oxygen, fish and other water animals will die.

23

using

phosphorus Although phosphorus is not one of Earth’s most common elements, it is extremely useful. We use phosphorus and phosphorus compounds in many ways.

Phosphoric acid is used to make baking powder and some soft drinks.

24

Phosphorus is used in the production of steel and the smelting of copper.

By far, the biggest use of phosphorus is in the production of fertilizers. These fertilizers make it possible for farmers to feed the world.

White phosphorus burns very easily. It is used in flares and in bombs and grenades that are designed to start fires.

White phosphorus gives off thick smoke when it burns. It is used in smoke grenades, which help armed forces mask the movement of soldiers or vehicles.

Phosphates were often used in detergents, but their use is being phased out. These detergents cause the same problems in bodies of water as fertilizers do.

25

15

the periodic table 1

P

All the elements are organized into a chart called the periodic Phosphorus table. It groups together elements with similar properties.30.974 Each square gives information about a particular element. 2

3

Thorium 232.04

231.04

45 77

10 9

76 8

Mt

Meitneriu

Samarium 150.36

Np Pu

Neptunium

Ir

Iridium 192.22

Plutonium

Eu

Europium 151.96

95

10

Promethium

93

U

Uranium 238.03

Rhodium 102.91

63

62

Hassium

Nd Pm Sm

Neodymium 144.24

Rh

Osmium 190.23

Bohrium

61

Seaborgium

27

26

Hs

Rhenium 186.21

10

Pa

75

Pr

Praseodymium 140.91

Os

Bh

Sg

7

10 6

89

Cerium 140.12

Dubnium

44

42

74

Db

Ru

Re

W

Tungsten 183.84

Cobalt 58.933

Ruthenium 101.07

94

Th

Ta

Tantalum 180.95

Co

Iron 55.845

Molybdenum 95.95

60

10 4 58

Ac

90

57

La

Lanthanum 138.91

25

Ce

Niobium 92.906

Rutherfordium

Manganese 54.938

Nb Mo Tc

Hafnium 178.49

Radium

Cr Mn Fe

Chromium 51.996

43

Rf

Vanadium 50.942

Zirconium 91.224

Barium 137.33

24

Hf

V

Titanium 47.867

92

89–103

23

Ra

41

57–71

73

Ba

Zr

5

88.906

10

87.62

Ti

59

22

Y

Scandium 44.956

72

56 88

87

26

Sc

40

38

37 55

Fr

The rows are called periods. Reading from left to right, the atomic numbers of the elements go up, from 1 to 118.

Sr

Calcium 40.078

Cs Francium

21

20

Rb

Ca

39

K

Cesium 132.91

7

9

Magnesium 24.305

Rubidium 85.468

6

8

12

11 19

Beryllium 9.0122

Potassium 39.098

5

7

Na Mg Sodium 22.990

4

6

The columns are called groups. Elements in a group have similar properties.

Be

4

3

Li

Lithium 6.94

3

5

H 1.008

2

4

91

Period 1

1

Hydrogen

The periodic table was developed in the 1860s by a Russian chemist named Dmitri Mendeleev. He left gaps that were later filled in with new elements, as they were discovered.

1.008

Group

1

A Good Idea!

H

Hydrogen

Am

Americiu

9

3

10

4

13

6

8

16

17

6 18

9

He

10

11

10 18 36

29

27

28

86

47

46

11 8

Oganesson

78

77

Au Gold 196.97

0

195.08

Actinide elements 11

Mt Ds

Lawrencium

Silver 107.87

elements

Iridium 192.22

Ag

Palladium 106.42

Meitnerium

11 1

45

Pt Lu Ir Lanthanide

79

Copper 63.546

Pd

10 9

10

Radon

TsRhOg

Lr

Cu

Nickel 58.693

Rg

Roentgenium

27

65

Nd Pm Sm

Nobelium

Cobalt 58.933

64

Mendelevium

Hassium

CoRn Ni

At

63

Hs

10

2

1

Fermium

Bohrium

10

10 8

10

Bh

Einsteinium

Xenon 131.29

174.97

3

173.05

190.23

Xe

Rhodium 102.91

71

70

69

Thulium Osmium 168.93

Kr Krypton 83.798

Tennessine

76

68

0

Erbium 167.26

54

9 17 35 53

84 6

11 5

11

Livermorium

Es Fm Md No

Seaborgium

11 7

44

4

11

75 67

186.21

9

83

82

81

11 3

Californium

Moscovium

Ruthenium 101.07

Re Er OsTm Yb Ho

10 9 7

Sg

208.98

I

Ar Argon 39.948

Iodine 126.90

Polonium

Fl Ru Mc Lv

62

Pr

43

42

11 2

Berkelium

Cf

Po

Br

Neon 20.180

Bromine 79.904

Tellurium 127.60

Iron 55.845Bismuth

Flerovium

Holmium Rhenium 164.93

183.84

Te

Cl

Ne

Chlorine 35.45

Selenium 78.971

121.76

Lead 207.2

Se

85

8 16 34

26

Sn

51

50

Sb

52

7

32

31

49

48

24

80

79

Db Dubnium

59

58

57

Ce

33

13 Curium

W Dy

10 69

Rf

Rutherfordium

La

1

65

180.95

Am Cm Bk Americium

Nihonium

Dysprosium Tungsten 162.50

60

89–103

m

96

10 95 4

178.49

Copernicium

GadoliniumTantalum Terbium 157.25 158.93

97

Europium Hafnium 151.96

3

11

0

Hf GdTaTb Eu 64

63

57–71

amarium m 150.36

204.38

Cn Nh Mo Tc

74

88.906

As

S

F

Fluorine 18.998

Sulfur 32.06

Arsenic 74.922

Tin 118.71

Manganese 54.938 Thallium

Molybdenum 95.95

8

40

10 9

11

Roentgenium

Niobium 92.906

72

2

In

200.59

Mt Zr DsNbRg Zirconium 91.224

Germanium 72.630

Indium 114.82

Chromium 51.996 Mercury

196.97

Meitnerium

Cadmium 112.41

P

O

Oxygen 15.999

Phosphorus 30.974

VAu Cr Mn Fe Hg Tl Pb Bi

Vanadium 50.942 Gold

73

Hassium

Silicon 28.085

Gallium 69.723

61

195.08

192.22

39

190.23

Pt

Zinc 65.38

66

Titanium 47.867 Iridium

Si

N

Nitrogen 14.007

Zn Ga Ge

Ag Cd Silver 107.87

C

15

Al

25

47

23

46

78

Ti

Ir

Scandium 44.956

rHs Y

Copper 63.546

Palladium 106.42

10 5

m 8 Osmium

22

aOs Sc

Cu

Nickel 58.693

Rhodium 102.91

77

21

Cobalt 58.933

30

29

Rh Pd

Co

41

45

Ni

28

27

ium 5

utonium

15

Carbon 12.011

Aluminum 26.982

Iron 55.845

a

B

Boron 10.81

Metals

g

Pu

7 6

Non–metals

Fe

a Sm

14

14

5

Metalloids (semimetals)

um 2

uthenium 101.07

1

14.007

C

A number shows the element’s Carbon Hydrogen atomic weight. It is an average of the 12.011 1.008 Sulfur number of protons and neutrons in 32.06 the different isotopes of an element.

Helium 4.0026

e

Ru

N

15.999

12

HS

16

15

O

Phosphorus Oxygen 30.974 Nitrogen

11

5

P

2

1.008

The chemical symbol is one or two letters, often an abbreviation of the element’s name. It is the same in all languages.

7

C

Each square shows the element’s name. Carbon Different 12.011 languages use different names.

Hydrogen

8

8

H

6

1

Every element has an atomic number. It shows how many protons are in each of its atoms. The atomic number for phosphorus is 15.

Eu Gd Tb

quiz Try this quiz and test your knowledge of phosphorus and elements! The answers are on page 32.

1

What is a compound? a. an old-fashioned unit for measuring weight b. a substance formed when two or more elements combine c. a flashy but dangerous dance move

3 What does white phosphorus smell like? a. rotten eggs b. peppermint c. matches or garlic

28

2

What do red phosphorus and white phosphorus have in common? a. they are made up purely of phosphorus atoms b. they like long walks on the beach c. they both form pale, waxy lumps

4

What is guano? a. a delicious dip made from avocados b. the phosphate-rich poop of seabirds and bats c. a compound formed from gold and carbon

5

How did Hennig Brand isolate pure phosphorus? a. he boiled down buckets of human urine b. he mixed rainwater with ground-up rock c. it was an accident; he was trying to cook soup

6

Why do farmers use phosphate fertilizers?

7

a. because they are less smelly than using manure b. to make their vegetables more brightly colored c. to replace the phosphorus that their crops take out of the soil

What did phosphorus fumes do to some workers in match factories? a. made them go blind b. made their jawbones glow and eventually rot away c. made them have really weird dreams

8

Which type of phosphorus is in the striking strip on a box of matches? a. red phosphorus b. white phosphorus c. turquoise phosphorus

29

Glossary acid a substance with a low pH that usually has a sour taste and eats away other materials alchemist person from long ago who tried to find a way to turn metals into gold allotropes different forms of the same element. One allotrope of an element has the atoms arranged in a different pattern than other allotropes of the same element. atom the smallest possible unit of a chemical element. Atoms are the basis of all matter in the universe. bacteria tiny living things that can cause infection but that can also be useful, such as by breaking down dead matter bond to form a link with other atoms, either of the same element or of a different element cell the smallest unit of life. All plants and animals are made of cells. chemical change change that occurs when one substance reacts with another to form a new substance

fertilizer substance that farmers put on fields to help crops grow better gas form of matter that is neither liquid or solid guano the solid waste of seabirds and bats, which can be used as a fertilizer ignite to catch fire isotopes different forms of the same element. One isotope of an element has a different number of neutrons than other isotopes of the same element. liquid form of matter that is neither a solid nor a gas, and flows when it is poured mass the total amount of matter in an object or space molecule the smallest unit of a substance that has all the properties of that substance. A molecule can be made up of a single atom, or a group of atoms neutron a particle in the nucleus of an atom with no charge

chemical property characteristic of a material that can be observed during or after a chemical reaction

phosphates compounds formed from phosphorus and oxygen, which are necessary for life

compound substance made of two or more different elements bonded together

physical property characteristic of a material that can be observed without changing the material

crust the hard, outermost layer of Earth electron a tiny particle with a negative charge that moves outside the nucleus of an atom element a substance that cannot be broken down or separated into other substances energy the ability to do work. Energy can take many different forms.

30

evaporate to turn from a liquid into a gas

proton a positively charged particle in the nucleus of an atom react to undergo a chemical change when combined with another substance tetrahedron 3D shape with four corners and four triangular faces arranged in a pyramid shape

Further

books

Resources

Arbuthnott, Gill. Your Guide to the Periodic Table. New York, NY: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2016. Callery, Sean, and Miranda Smith. Periodic Table. New York, NY: Scholastic Nonfiction, 2017. Carmichael, L.E. How Can We Reduce Agricultural Pollution? Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications, 2016.

Linde, Barbara. Strip Mining. New York, NY: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2014. Slingerland, Janet. Explore Atoms and Molecules! White River Junction, VT: Nomad Press, 2017. Stefoff, Rebecca. Alchemy and Chemistry. New York, NY: Cavendish Square Publishing, 2014.

Websites This website explains more about phosphorus: www.ducksters.com/science/chemistry/ phosphorus.php Go here for amazing facts about phosphorus: www.livescience.com/28932-phosphorus. html

Learn about all the elements using this interactive periodic table: www.rsc.org/periodic-table/ Visit this website to find out how phosphorus is used. sciencestruck.com/phosphorus-uses

Publisher’s note to educators and parents: Our editors have carefully reviewed these websites to ensure that they are suitable for students. Many websites change frequently, however, and we cannot guarantee that a site’s future contents will continue to meet our high standards of quality and educational value. Be advised that students should be closely supervised whenever they access the Internet.

31

index acids 21, 24 alchemists 14–15 allotropes 6, 7, 8 artificial elements 5 atomic numbers and weights 26, 27 atoms 4, 6, 7, 10 ATP (adenosine triphosphate) 19 bacteria 23 bonds 4, 6, 7 burning 7, 10, 11, 15, 25 carbon 4, 12, 16 cells 17, 19 chains 7 chemical changes 10 chemical properties 10–11 chlorine 9, 11 color 8, 9 compounds 4, 9, 11, 12, 13 detergents 25 discovery of phosphorus 14–15 DNA 17 Earth’s crust 13 electrons 4 elements 4, 5, 26–27 energy 19 environmental problems 22–23 fertilizers 12, 20–21, 22, 23, 25 foods 16

halogens 11 human body, phosphorus in the 16–17 hydrogen 4, 16 isotopes 27 matches 8, 17 melting point 9 meteorites 13 minerals 12, 13 mining phosphates 12, 23 molecules 6, 19 natural elements 5 nerves 17 neutrons 4, 27 nitrogen 4, 16, 21 nutrients 20, 23

tetrahedrons 6, 7 texture 9 uses for phosphorus 20–21, 24–25 white phosphorus 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 25

odor 8, 9 oxygen 4, 11, 15, 16, 23 periodic table 26–27 “philosopher’s stone” 14 phosphates 12, 18, 19, 22, 23, 25 phosphides 11 phosphoric acid 24 phosphorus cycle 18–19 “phossy jaw” 17 physical properties 8–9 plants and animals 19, 20, 22, 23 protons 4, 27 red phosphorus 6, 7, 8, 9, 11

guano 13, 21

smoke grenades 25 sources of phosphorus 12–13, 16 space, phosphorus in 5, 13 stars 5, 13 sulfur 4 sulfuric acid 21 supernovas 5

Quiz answers

1. b; 2. a; 3. c; 4. b; 5. a; 6. c; 7. b; 8. a

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titles in this series

CarboN HydrogeN NitrogeN OxygeN PhospHorus SulfuR ISBN: 9781538347737 6-pack ISBN: 9781538347744