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Phosphorus

Phosphorus is a pale yellow, semi-transparent, and highly combustible solid; specific gravity 1.77 (water standard); melts at 108° Fahr., and unites with oxygen, forming acids, and with the metals, forming PHOSPHIDES or PHOSPHURETS.

It is soluble in ether, naphtha, and the oils.

Or: Extract all the soluble part of kelp by From its great inflammability it can only be water, and crystallize the soda by evapora- safely kept under water. In commerce it is tion; to the mother-lyo add oil of vitriol in in always packed in tin cylinders, soldered airexcess, and boil the liquid, then strain it to tight. It is a powerful corrosive poison. The separate some sulphur, and mix the filtered specific gravity of its vapor is 4.327 (air liquor with as much manganese as there was oil of vitriol: on applying heat, the iodine sublimes in the form of greyish-black scales, with a metallic lustre. The boiling is conducted in a leaden vessel; and a cylindrical leaden still with a very short head, and connected with 2 or 3 large globular glass rceivers, is used for the subliming apparatus. Care must be taken to watch the process, and prevent the neck of the still becoming choked with condensed iodine. (Cooley.) standard).