A demonstration for descriptive inorganic chemistry, which displays the unique behavior of a familiar element, phosphorus, while at the same time making chemistry more accessible to the introductory student, was developed.  The common allotropes of phosphorus and their reactivity will be discussed.  In this demonstration, small amounts of the white phosphorus allotrope are synthesized from red phosphorus that can be obtained from a matchbook.  White phosphorus is exposed to oxygen in the air using a disposable pipet and large pipet bulb to yield an attention-grabbing flame.  This simple and effective demonstration highlights two of the common allotropes of phosphorus and their differences in reactivity.  

Phosphorus flamethrower: Allotrope demonstration

239th National Meeting (2010)

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