What is the symbol for phosphorus?

Element Phosphorus (P), Group 15, Atomic Number 15, p-block, Mass 30.974. Sources, facts, uses, scarcity (SRI), podcasts, alchemical symbols, videos and images. read more

Phosphorus is a chemical element with symbol P and atomic number 15. As an element, phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Earth. With a concentration of 0.099%, phosphorus is the most abundant pnictogen in the Earth's crust. read more

Phosphorus is not found uncombined in nature, but is widely found in compounds in minerals. An important source is phosphate rock, which contains the apatite minerals and is found in large quantities in the USA and elsewhere. There are fears that ‘peak phosphorus’ will occur around 2050, after which our sources will dwindle. read more