Discovery date : 1669
Discovered by: Hennig Brandt
Origin of the name: The name is derived from the Greek 'phosphoros', meaning bringer of light.
Allotropes : White P, Red P, Black P, P2
~>PHOSPHORUS is a chemical element with symbol P and atomic number 15. As an element, phosphorus exists in two major forms white phosphorus and red phosphorus but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Earth.
| FACT BOX | |||
| Group | 15 | Melting point | 44.15°C, 111.47°F, 317.3 K |
| Period | 3 | Boiling point | 280.5°C, 536.9°F, 553.7 K |
| Block | p | Density (g cm−3) | 1.823 (white) |
| Atomic number | 15 | Relative atomic mass | 30.974 |
| State at 20°C | Solid | Key isotopes | 31P |
| Electron configuration | [Ne] 3s23p3 | CAS number | 7723-14-0 |
| ChemSpider ID | 4575369 | ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database | |
Phosphorus was first made by Hennig Brandt at Hamburg in 1669 when he evaporated urine and heated the residue until it was red hot, whereupon phosphorus vapour distilled which he collected by condensing it in water. Brandt kept his discovery secret, thinking he had discovered the Philosopher’s Stone that could turn base metals into gold. When he ran out of money, he sold phosphorus to Daniel Kraft who exhibited it around Europe including London where Robert Boyle was fascinated by it. He discovered how it was produced and investigated it systematically. (His assistant Ambrose Godfrey set up his own business making and selling phosphorus and became rich.)
When it was realised that bone was calcium phosphate, and could be used to make phosphorus, and it became more widely available. Demand from match manufacturers in the 1800s ensured a ready market.