So, glowing phosphorous is white phosphorous, or yellow phosphorous, as some may call it,
and it represents a soft, wax-like reagent that varies in color from white to orange.
Phosphorous oxidizes in air, and, as a result, its temperature constantly increases and it
melts and burns.
Sure, you think that the oxidation of phosphorous
occurs by this reaction, because that’s what they told you in school.
Actually, it doesn’t, since one of the products of white phosphorous oxidation is ozone.
If we take a piece of potassium iodide starch test paper, that serves as an excellent ozone
indicator, and blow on it with oxygen, nothing will happen.
And now watch what happens if I apply an ozone flow on it.
Now I’ll place a piece of phosphorous on a watch glass, that’s next to the test paper,
and cover it with a petri dish.
Potassium iodide starch test paper discoloring
to blue with a distinct smell of ozone is the proof that ozone does indeed form during
the oxidation of phosphorous in air.
Well, if you thought phosphorous glows like
Phosphorescent glow paint, you were wrong this whole time, and now you’ll see how
phosphorous really glows.
Look at this! It’s so alive, it’s like
a brain with all its neural connections and electric impulses running on its surface.
By the way, the oxidation of white phosphorous with oxygen occurs within a specific interval
of oxygen concentration. Look at this dark spot that travels across
phosphorous surface. That’s me blowing pure oxygen on it.
If we drop a piece of phosphorous into liquid oxygen, nothing will happen either.
But if we pour liquid oxygen into burning phosphorous, there will be an explosion!
Yet it’s still quite interesting, that phosphorous glow intensifies if I apply an ozone flow on it
Let me know in the comments why you think this happens.
Thanks for watching guys! And bear in mind, that phosphorous requires
extremely careful handling, as it may catch on fire any moment.
seeya in the next video