Courses
Courses for Kids
Free study material
Offline Centres
More
Store Icon
Store
seo-qna
SearchIcon
banner

How to find the atomicity of phosphorus?

Answer
VerifiedVerified
512.1k+ views
Hint: The cumulative number of atoms in a molecule is known as atomicity. Each molecule of oxygen, for example, is made up of two oxygen atoms. As a result, the atomicity of oxygen is 2. The term atomicity is often used interchangeably with the term valency in older contexts.

Complete answer:
The cumulative number of atoms in a molecule is known as atomicity. Each molecule of oxygen, for example, is made up of two oxygen atoms. As a result, the atomicity of oxygen is 2. The term atomicity is often used interchangeably with the term valency in older contexts.
Phosphorus is a chemical element of atomic number 15 and the symbol P. Phosphorus occurs in two main forms: white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but it is never present as a free product on Earth due to its high reactivity.
A molecule is a chemically bound group of two or more atoms that are electrically neutral. Molecules differ from ions in that they do not have an electrical charge.
Atomicity of phosphorus is 4 as it exists as $P_4$. The number of atoms presents in a molecule of phosphorus are 4 atoms.

Note:
A molecule is a chemically bound group of two or more atoms that are electrically neutral. Molecules differ from ions in that they do not have an electrical charge. The term atomicity is often used interchangeably with the term valency in older contexts. Phosphorus occurs in two main forms: white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but it is never present as a free product on Earth due to its high reactivity.