Phosphorus is the chemical
element that has the symbol P and it has an atomic number
15. The atomic weight of Phosphorous is 30.973762.
Things you might not know about
Phosphorous:
- The discovery of phosphorus is credited to
the German alchemist Hennig Brand in 1669. Brand attempted to
create the fabled philosopher's stone through the distillation of
some salts by evaporating urine, and in the process produced a
white material that glowed in the dark and burned brilliantly.
His process originally involved letting urine stand for days
until it gave off a terrible smell. Then he boiled it down to a
paste, heated this paste to a high temperature, and led the vapors
through water, where he hoped they would condense to gold. Instead,
he obtained a white, waxy substance that glowed in the dark. Brand
had discovered phosphorus.
- In 2007, at the current rate of consumption,
the supply of phosphorus was estimated to run out in 345
years.
- Phosphoric acid made from elemental
phosphorus is used in food applications such as some soda
beverages.
- An average adult human contains about
0.7 kg of phosphorus, about 85-90% of which is present in
bones and teeth.
See GC2XAY2 - Hydrogen, for an explanation
about this series of caches.