Phosphorus By Cynthia Thung |
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Sergeant P. in His Biography Atten--tion! My name is Sergeant P. and today I’m going to drill you with facts about my life and me. I was born in 1669 to the German alchemist Hennig Brandt in Hamburg, Germany. Later I was found to have a unique power that interested many leading chemists of the day. I, as a white solid, am able to glow in the dark and ignite spontaneously in air. Thus, I was named Phosphorus (from the Greek for "light-bringing) because of my fire producing ability.As a mole, I represent 6.02 x 1023 atoms, formula units, or molecules, which is used to describe the atomic mass of an element (such as myself), the formula mass of an ionic compound, and the molecular mass of a molecular compound. Aside from being named Phosphorus, I can be identified as number 15 for my atomic number. My atomic weight is 30.975. Growing up and up until this point, I’ve lived in Group VA of the Periodic Table living close to me friends Oxygen and Sulfur in VIA. Because I’m not very independent, you won’t find me in the elemental form in nature. I usually hang out with other elements such as my best friend, Calcium. I am usually found in minerals such as fluorapatite. I am very active, though, and considered a nonmetal. I can boil at a point of 280OC and melt at a point of 44.2OC. I exist as a yellowish-white waxlike solid.Approximately three pounds of me exists in the human skeleton and small doses of me can be used to stimulate the nervous system. Contradictory to this, the continuous inhaling of small amounts of my fumes can cause Necrosis (death of the bones) of the jaw and nose. A human being with Crohn’s disease may have a phosphorus deficiency that may cause fatigue, weakness, and decreased attention span, and may lead to seizures, coma, or death. In human beings, I am present in bones, teeth, nerve and muscle tissue, and nucleic acids. Foods such as eggs, beans, peas, and milk can furnish me for the body’s requirements. I am essential in plants, too, which can obtain me through the soil. I first landed a job as white phosphorus. As white phosphorus, I was used in incendiary and napalm bombs and in rat poisons. As white phosphorus, I’m very poisonous and sometimes cause death. In the form of white phosphorus I am, a white, translucent, waxlike solid. When exposed to light, I can turn a yellow color. When heated until approximately 250OC, I landed a second job as red phosphorus. As red phosphorus, I can be converted into acids and salts to be used in fertilizers, baking powder, chemicals for detergents, laboratory chemicals, and medicines to help the growth of bones. I landed my current job as Sergeant because of my role during warfare. I am able to manufacture tracer bullets, skywriting compounds, fireworks, bombs, safety matches, smoke-producing weapons, and smoke screens for warfare. In my spare time, I like to get together with my friends. My chemical properties allow me to combine with different elements. When I am burned either in the excess of the air or with oxygen, covalent phosphorus(V) oxide, P4O10, is formed. In moist air, this forms a fog of minute droplets of phosphoric acids. Because of this, I am often shipped to plants in different locations. With nitric acid, HNO3, I oxidize into orthophosphoric acid. I also combine with Sulfur and other metals when heated. A model of me has been made by the young chemist, Cynthia Thung, in recognition of my accomplishments. It is displayed in camouflage and has a camouflage hard hat like an army guy to represent my use in warfare. It holds bullets because I can manufacture bullets and it holds a gun to represent my ability to produce weapons. |
