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Naming History
Phosphorus gets its name from the Greek word phosphoros meaning bringer of light. This was due to early forms of Phosphorus, specifically White Phosphorus glowing in the dark.
Discovery
Phosphorus was first discovered in 1669 by Hennig Brandt by evaporating urine and hearing the residue red hot. This discovery was kept a secret by Brandt who elected to try to capitilize on being the only person to make Phosphorus by selling it to other chemists. One chemist, Johann Kunckel, refused to pay the price for it and instead discovered how to make it for himself.
Characteristics
Phosphorus when surrounded by four Oxygen atoms is called phosphte (PO4) and is extremely important for global and biological life. However, when removing these Oxygen atoms Phosphorus becomes an extremely dangerous compound.
There are around 345 parts per million (ppm) Phosphorus in human blood.
Phorsphorus is a large component of bones, which are made of calcium phosphate, and make up roughly 7% of them.
Different human tissues contain 3,000-8,000 ppm Phosphorus.
There is around 780 g of Phosphorus in the human body.
Phosphorus is the 11th most abundant element in the Earths crust making up 1,000 ppm.
Naturally Occurring Minerals
Phorsphorus is not found in nature as elemental Phosphorus but rather as the phosphate ion (PO4). These phosphate ions are found in a few different minearls such as apatite (Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH)) as well as phosphate rock (P2O5). World production of Phorsphorus minearls is around 160 million tonnes per year with estimated reserves of easily accessible ore totaling 6 billion tonnes.
Where can I find this element @ home
Phosphorus is a dietary requirement with recommended intake being 800 mg per day.
Phosphrous rich foods include tuna, salmon, sardines, liver, turkey, chicken, eggs and cheese.
Sodium and Potassium salts of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) are used as additived in many foods such as soda and evaporated milk.
Sodium monofluorophosphate (Na2PO3F) is used in toothpaste to provide fluoride to teeth.