NSCI 1322 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Adenosine Triphosphate, Fluorapatite, Calcium Silicate
12 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Phosphorus, the most abundant of the group 5a elements, occurs in phosphate minerals, such as fluorapatite. Like nitrogen, however, phosphorus is an important element in living organisms. Dna (deoxyribonucleic acid), a chainlike biological molecule in which information about inheritable traits resides, contains phosphate groups along the length of its chain. Similarly, atp (adenosine triphosphate), the energy-containing molecule of living organisms, contains phosphate groups. Phosphorus has two common allotropes: white phosphorus and red phosphorus. White phosphorus, a waxy, white solid, is very poisonous and very reactive. If white phosphorus is left exposed to air, it bursts spontaneously into flame. Because of its reactivity with oxygen, white phosphorus is stored under water, in which it is insoluble. The gases from the furnace are cooled by water to condense the phosphorus vapor to the liquid; the carbon monoxide gas is used as a fuel. The other product, calcium silicate glass (called slag), is drained periodically from the bottom of the furnace.
