Phosphorus is an element with four allotropes (versions) White, Red, Violet and Black. They all have different densities based on their crystalline structure. Phosphorus has many different uses. Red Phosphorus is most commonly used in match heads as it is combustible. Phosphorus is also present in the human body in the structure of RNA and DNA as a phosphate compound. It is also important in the production of ATP and ADP in the process of respiration. Phosphorus is also used commonly in fertiliser due to its importance in plants. Phosphorus is commonly found in bat droppings also known as Guano, in 1879 Bolivia, Chile and Peru fought a short war over land that was high in bat populations due to the importance of the elements. Phosphorus was discovered in 1669 by Hennig Brand where he used urine and evaporated it to leave a residue that when heated produced solid White Phosphorus. It was not until 1770 when the Swedish scientist Carl Wilhelm Scheele used Chlorine and Oxygen to extract Phosphorus from bones. It is located in Group 15 as a non metal white yellow solid at room temperature, it is brittle. It has a melting point of 44°c and a boiling point of 280°c.

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