The deadly, life-giving and transient elements that make up group 15 of the periodic table
- Written by Julie Pollock, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Richmond
The red tip on these matches contains phosphorus, which ignites when in contact with oxygen.Andrew Rafalsky/Shutterstock.comWhen you see the periodic table, what comes to mind? The pieces on a scrabble board? Maybe you think about your high school chemistry class. Maybe you think of the colorful table plastered on the wall of a lecture hall in...