Skip to content
Chem Studio by Learn4Less

Element 15

Phosphorus (P)

15
P

phosphorus

Nonmetal · p block · group 15, period 3

Electron configuration
[Ne] 3s2 3p3[\mathrm{Ne}]\,3s^{2}\,3p^{3}
Unpaired electrons
3 (paramagnetic)
Valence electrons
5
Molar mass
30.974 g/mol
Electronegativity
2.19
Atomic radius
110 pm
First ionization energy
1012 kJ/mol
Next ionization energies
1,907, 2,914, 4,964
Electron affinity
72 kJ/mol released

Practice

Practice phosphorus

Questions from the course about phosphorus. If you’re signed in, your answers count toward your progress.

  1. Question 1Ground-state electron configurationWarm-up

    Which is the ground-state electron configuration of a neutral phosphorus atom (P\ce{P})?

  2. Question 2Count unpaired electronsWarm-up

    How many unpaired electrons are there in a ground-state gaseous phosphorus atom (P\ce{P})?

    Whole number.

  3. Question 3Estimate the effective nuclear chargeWarm-up

    Use the simple shielding model Zeff=Z−SZ_{\text{eff}} = Z - S, where SS is the number of core (inner-shell, n<3n < 3) electrons and electrons in the same shell do not shield each other. What is ZeffZ_{\text{eff}} for a valence electron of phosphorus (P\ce{P})?

    Whole number.