Why is white phosphorus highly reactive?
White phosphorous is more reactive than red phosphorous because white phosphorous has angular strain in P4 molecule where the angles are only 60o. There is no such angular strain in Red Phosphorous.
Is white phosphorus highly reactive?
White phosphorus is highly reactive, and spontaneously ignites at about 30°C in moist air. It is usually stored under water, to prevent exposure to the air. It is also extremely toxic, even in very small quantities.
Which phosphorus is more reactive?
White phosphorus
White phosphorus is the least stable, the most reactive, the most volatile, the least dense, and the most toxic of the allotropes.
Which phosphorus is more reactive and why?
Solution : White phosphorus is more reactive. This is because it is less stable because of angular strain in `P_4` molecule where the angles are only `60^(@)`.
Why is white phosphorus flammable?
Phosphorus spontaneously ignites on contact with air, producing toxic fumes (phosphorus oxides). Phosphorus reacts violently with oxidants, halogens, some metals, nitrites, sulfur, and many other compounds. This causes a fire and explosion hazard. Phosphorus reacts with strong bases to produce toxic phosphine gas.
Why white phosphorus is more reactive than nitrogen?
This triple bond has very high bond strength, which is very difficult to break. It is because of nitrogen’s small size that it is able to form pπ−pπ bonds with itself. This property is not exhibited by atoms such as phosphorus. Thus, phosphorus is more reactive than nitrogen.
Which phosphorus is least reactive?
Black phosphorus
Black phosphorus is thermodynamically most stable form of phosphorus as it is a highly polymerised form of phosphorus. Hence it is least reactive.
Why is red phosphorus less reactive than white?
White phosphorus is formed of discrete P4 tetrahedra with very high angular strain. In contrast, red phosphorus is a polymer of P4 tetrahedra with lesser angular strain. High angular strain results in instability and high reactivity in white phosphorus.
Is white phosphorus water reactive?
In water, white phosphorus reacts with oxygen within hours or days. In water with low oxygen, white phosphorus may degrade to a highly toxic compound called phosphine, which eventually evaporates to the air and is changed to less harmful chemicals.
How hot does white phosphorus burn?
5,000 degrees Fahrenheit
White phosphorus burns at a temperature of up to 2,760 degrees Celsius (5,000 degrees Fahrenheit). Incandescent particles from weapons using powdered white phosphorus as their payload produce extensive partial- and full-thickness burns, as will any attempt to handle burning submunitions without protective equipment.
Is nitrogen highly reactive?
Nitrogen is a rather unreactive element, and the reason is that the N≡N bond energy is 946 kJ mol−1. This lack of reactivity is somewhat unlike other nonmetals given the position of the atom in the periodic table and the fact that nitrogen is a nonmetal having an electronegativity of 3.0 (the third highest value).
What is the reactivity series?
Reactivity series is a list of metals arranged in decreasing order of their reactivity. Most reactive metals are at the top while the least reactive metals at the bottom. For any two metals in the series, the metal placed higher in the series can displace lower metals from their salt solution.