Flaming phosphorus

By Declan Fleming2018-02-19T09:20:00

White phosphorus oxidising vigorously and in a glass Pasteur pipette, creating a small jet of flame

Source: Declan Fleming

How to generate your own white phosphorus for a fiery oxidation demonstration

The periodicity and reactions of the period three elements appear in many post-16 chemistry courses. But getting hold of samples of these elements has become tricky. You can generate a small sample of white phosphorus from the readily available red allotrope and demonstrate its spectacular oxidation. Here’s how.

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