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Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: IceD on February 03, 2005, 04:03:19 PM

Title: Red Phosphorus
Post by: IceD on February 03, 2005, 04:03:19 PM

Where is Red P. most available?  What chemical has the closest chemical make up?

Title: Re:Red Phosphorus
Post by: Mitch on February 03, 2005, 04:14:56 PM

try ebay.

Title: Re:Red Phosphorus
Post by: limpet chicken on February 03, 2005, 04:18:57 PM

Red P is found in small amounts on matchbooks, and can be prepared by UV irradiation of a solution of white phosphorus in carbon disulfide with a mercury vapor lamp, white P is very soluable in CS2, whereas red P is is insoluable and will precipitate out.

White P can of course, be distilled from reducing phosphate fertillizers at a high temperature with a stoichiometric amount of carbon and SiO2.

Look on www.sciencemadness.org for threads on production of white phosphorus.

And remember, if you haven't worked with white P before, its toxic, with a LD50 of roughly 50mg, and it is pyrophoric, igniting at just a few degrees over room temperature, the slow decomposition in air also self catalyses itself by insulation, the decomposition producing increasing heat, and causing the white phosphorus to ignite.