15P30.974

Phosphorus

Reactive non-metals

Poor conductors that build the molecules of living things and much of the air.

[Ne] 3s² 3p³

Atomic number: 15
Atomic mass: 30.974
Protons: 15
Neutrons: 16 (most common)
Electrons: 15
Shells: 2, 8, 5
State at 25 °C: Solid
Position: Group 15, period 3

Proton (+)Neutron (0)Electron (−)

Discovered byHennig Brand, 1669Hennig Brand: 1 element

Brand boiled down huge amounts of urine hoping to find gold. Instead he got a glowing white substance: phosphorus, the first element discovered by a known person.

Did you know?

White phosphorus glows in the dark in air.
Its name means “light-bearer” in Greek.

Where it's found

Phosphate rocks
Bones and teeth
DNA

What it's used for

Fertilisers
The striking strip on matchboxes

Try it

There's no safe home experiment for Phosphorus. Explore it with the animated atom above instead.