Question

White phosphorus burns immediately giving out a lot of heat but its not classified as a fuel why

Answer 1

Hello!!

• The reason the red is used over white in military munitions is because red is more stable than white when exposed to ambient air.

• The finer white phosphorus is, the easier it is to ignite at lower ambient air temperature.

• Vapor pressure and density is why white phosphorus is more reactive than red.

Thanks!!

Answer 2

Answer:

White phosphorus is less stable and more reactive than other solid phases of phosphorus because of angular strain in P4 molecule where the angles are only 600. Therefore it readily catches fire to give dense white fumes of P4O10.