Phosphorus (P), element 15 – Learn Acer periodic table

Phosphorus

Nonmetal, atomic number 15.

Phosphorus is a chemical element with symbol P and atomic number 15. As an element, phosphorus exists in two major forms—white phosphorus and red phosphorus—but due to its high reactivity, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Earth. Instead phosphorus-containing minerals are almost always present in their maximally oxidised state, as inorganic phosphate rocks.

Facts

Symbol P. Atomic mass 30.9737619985 u. Group 15, period 3. Electron configuration [Ne] 3s2 3p3. Electrons per shell 2, 8, 5. State at room temperature: Solid. Melting point 44.2 °C, boiling point unknown. Discovered by Hennig Brand.

Element data from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0.