Question

Write main differences between the properties of white phosphorus and red phosphorus.

Answer 1

White phosphorus	Red Phosphorus
It is a soft and waxy solid. It possesses a garlic smell.	It is a hard and crystalline solid, without any smell.
It is poisonous.	It is non-poisonous.
It is insoluble in water but soluble in carbon disulphide.	It is insoluble in both water and carbon disulphide.
It undergoes spontaneous combustion in air.	It is relatively less reactive.
In both solid and vapour states, it exists as a P4 molecule	It existIt exists as a chain of tetrahedral P4 units.s as a chain of tetrahedral P4 units.

Answer 2

White phosphorus	Red Phosphorus
It is a soft and waxy solid. It possesses a garlic smell.	It is a hard and crystalline solid, without any smell.
It is poisonous.	It is non-poisonous.
It is insoluble in water but soluble in carbon disulphide.	It is insoluble in both water and carbon disulphide.
It undergoes spontaneous combustion in air.	It is relatively less reactive.
In both solid and vapour states, it exists as a P4 molecule	It existIt exists as a chain of tetrahedral P4 units.s as a chain of tetrahedral P4 units.

Answer 3

	Property	White Phosphorus	Red Phosphorus
1	State	Translucent	Brittle, substance
2	Colour	White get yellowish on exposure to light	Red
3	Odour	Garlic like odour	Odourless
4	hardness	Soft like wax and can be cut by knife	hard
5	Poisonous nature	Poisonous	Non-poisonous
6	Solubility	Soluble in `CS_2`	Insoluble in `CS_2`
7	Chemiluminescence	Glow in dark	Does not glow in dark
8	Density	1.8	2.1
9	Reactivity	Very reactive	Less reactive
10	Action of oxygen	Burm with greenish glow	Combine with `O_2` only on heating to form `P_4O_10`

Structure of white phosphorus and red phosphorus.

White Phosphorus

Red Phosphorus