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Phosphorus
Aurora W.
What is Phosphorus?
What is it?
Phosphorus is a chemical element. It has the symbol P and its atomic number is 15. Elemental phosphorus exists mainly as red phosphorus and white phosphorus, but there is also violet phosphorus and black phosphorus.
Phosphorus is essential for life and is found in many places on Earth, but in small amounts. Also, because phosphorus is highly reactive, it is never found as a free element on Earth.
How was it named?
Phosphorus was a god in Greek mythology, also known as Eosphoros. His roman equivalent was Lucifer. He was the god of dawn and light, and the son of the goddess Eos, or Aurora in Roman mythology. His name means light-bearer or bringer of light.
The element phosphorus was named after the god of light because white phosphorus emits a faint glow when exposed to oxygen.
Additional fact:
The term "phosphorescence" or "phosphorescent" was derived from the name Phosphorus, and refers to the faint glow after illumination.
Where is it found?
Phosphorus is essential for life. It is widely distributed in many minerals, usually as phosphates. Phosphorus can also be found in organic sources, such as urine and bone ash. It helps to create fertilizer for plants, and is helpful to human bodies, too.
Where can you find it?
Minerals that include Phosphorus:
Apatite, Lazulite, Pyromorphite, Turquoise, and Variscite are all phosphate minerals. Apatite is very important in the phosphorus cycle.
A picture of Apatite, which is a phosphate mineral.
Resources
References
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-phosphate-minerals-4123032
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorus
http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/15/phosphorus