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phosphorus
1[ fos-fer-uhs ]
noun
- Chemistry. a solid, nonmetallic element existing in at least three allotropic forms, one that is yellow, poisonous, flammable, and luminous in the dark, one that is red, less poisonous, and less flammable, and another that is black, insoluble in most solvents, and the least flammable. The element is used in forming smoke screens, its compounds are used in matches and phosphate fertilizers, and it is a necessary constituent of plant and animal life in bones, nerves, and embryos. : P; : 30.974; : 15; : (yellow) 1.82 at 20°C, (red) 2.20 at 20°C, (black) 2.25–2.69 at 20°C.
- any phosphorescent substance.
Phosphorus
2[ fos-fer-uhs ]
noun
Phosphorus
1/ ˈɒəə /
noun
- a morning star, esp Venus
phosphorus
2/ ˈɒəə /
noun
- an allotropic nonmetallic element occurring in phosphates and living matter. Ordinary phosphorus is a toxic flammable phosphorescent white solid; the red form is less reactive and nontoxic: used in matches, pesticides, and alloys. The radioisotope phosphorus-32 ( radiophosphorus ), with a half-life of 14.3 days, is used in radiotherapy and as a tracer. Symbol: P; atomic no: 15; atomic wt: 30.973 762; valency: 3 or 5; relative density: 1.82 (white), 2.20 (red); melting pt: 44.1°C (white); boiling pt: 280°C (white)
- a less common name for a phosphor
phosphorus
/ ŏ′ə-ə /
- A highly reactive, poisonous nonmetallic element occurring naturally in phosphates, especially in the mineral apatite. It exists in white (or sometimes yellow), red, and black forms, and is an essential component of protoplasm. Phosphorus is used to make matches, fireworks, and fertilizers and to protect metal surfaces from corrosion. Atomic number 15; atomic weight 30.9738; melting point (white) 44.1°C; boiling point 280°C; specific gravity (white) 1.82; valence 3, 5.
- See Periodic Table
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of phosphorus1
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of phosphorus1
Example Sentences
The new initiative built on other work including an ongoing £20m project addressing phosphorus levels in soil through the Land Use for Net Zero, People and Nature programme, she added.
The wetlands ringing a beaver pond sequester carbon and clean the water, filtering out pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus.
When she woke up, she was surrounded by rubble and burning fragments of phosphorus.
But unlike nitrogen, another critical soil nutrient, phosphorus is a non-renewable resource with limited geological deposits, meaning that once it moves from land to water, it can't get back into the land.
The rock evidence showed that the violent disturbances churned up nutrients like phosphorus and iron that fed simple organisms.
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