chornedsnorkack - 18-1-2016 at 11:22
White phosphorus, P4, is soluble in sundry organic solvents. On rapid heating in dark, it melts at 44 Celsius, and boils at 280 Celsius.
White phosphorus is liable to polymerize into red phosphorus, either on prolonged heating or due to light. Red phosphorus is a solid network polymer,
therefore insoluble.
What are phosphorus oligomers like? If P4 molecules react thanks to heating or light, but the process is stopped before formation of space
network, when most phosphorus is still white P4 monomers and only a small amount of oligomers are making phosphorus yellow rather than
quite red - would it then be possible to dissolve the phosphorus and somehow isolate oligomers?
DraconicAcid - 18-1-2016 at 11:39
I suspect that if you dissolve it, the oligomers would either break up or polymerize.