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Question

Name some white phosphorus reactions.


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Solution

White Phosphorus:

  • White Phosphorus (P4) is a waxy substance that is colourless, white, or yellow and has a garlic-like odour.
  • White Phosphorus is a hazardous chemical formed by the breakdown of Phosphate-containing minerals.
  • It occurs in tetrahedral molecules composed of four atoms.

Reactions of White Phosphorus:

  • White phosphorus is a strong reducing agent, which reduces HNO3 to NO2
  • The reaction proceeds as follows:

P4(s)WhitePhosphorus+20HNO3(l)Nitricacid4H3PO4(l)Phosphoricacid+20NO2(g)Nitrogendioxide+4H2O(l)Water

  • White phosphorus spontaneously catches fire in Chlorine forming Phosphorus Trichloride and Phosphorus Pentachloride
  • The reactions proceeds as follows:

P4(g)Whitephophorus+6Cl2(g)Chlorine4PCl3(g)PhosphorusTrichloride

P4(g)Whitephophorus+10Cl2(g)Chlorine4PCl5(g)PhosphorusPentachloride

  • White phosphorus reacts with metals to form Phosphides.
  • The reaction is shown below:

P4(s)WhitePhosphorus+6Mg(s)Magnesium2Mg3P2(s)MagnesiumPhosphide

  • Here, P4 is an oxidizing agent, Magnesium is a reducing agent.

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