15
Phosphorus
Atomic Number15
Atomic Mass30.974 u
CategoryNonmetal
State at Room TempSolid
Year Discovered1669
About Phosphorus
Discovered by a German alchemist searching for the philosophers stone, made from evaporated urine. Essential for DNA, bones, and teeth. White phosphorus glows in the dark, the origin of the term phosphorescence. Used in fertilizers, detergents, and match heads. The phosphorus cycle is one of the slowest biogeochemical cycles.
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