Allotropes of phosphorus Allotropes of phosphorus Elemental phosphorus can exist in several allotropes, the most common of which are white and red solids. Solid violet and black allotropes are also known. Gaseous phosphorus exists as diphosphorus and atomic phosphorus. White phosphorus, yellow phosphorus or simply tetraphosphorus (P) exists as molecules made up of four atoms in a tetrahedral structure. The tetrahedral arrangement results in ring strain and instability. The molecule is described as consisting of six single P–P bonds. Two different crystalline forms are known. The α form is defined as the standard state of the element, but is actually metastable under standard
Red-violet lies halfway between green and spring green. It is very close to sea green, but highly saturated, and of a bright hue. In some traditional usage, red-violet is the name given to an intermediate or tertiary color that, along with yellow-orange (gold) and also green-blue (cyan), forms a color wheel triad group. Most contemporary usage, however, would list magenta as the name for the tertiary color in question. Red-violet or pigment purple (pigment red-violet) represents the way the color purple (red-violet) was normally reproduced in pigments, paints, or colored pencils in the 1950s on an old-fashioned RYB color wheel. This