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Phosphorus is classified as a pnictogen, together with nitrogen, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, and moscovium. Phosphorus is an element essential to sustaining life largely through phosphates, compounds containing the phosphate ion, PO 4 3−. Phosphates are a component of DNA, RNA, ATP, and phospholipids, complex compounds fundamental to cells.
A large fraction of the chemical elements that occur naturally on the Earth's surface are essential to the structure and metabolism of living things. Four of these elements (hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen) are essential to every living thing and collectively make up 99% of the mass of protoplasm. [1]
Nitrogen makes up 2.5% of a typical human by weight. [citation needed] Phosphorus is 0.1% of the earth's crust, making it the 11th most abundant element. Phosphorus comprises 0.65 parts per million of soil and 15 to 60 parts per billion of seawater. There are 200 Mt of accessible phosphates on earth.
The field focuses on chemical cycles which are either driven by or influence biological activity. Particular emphasis is placed on the study of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, iron, and phosphorus cycles. [1] Biogeochemistry is a systems science closely related to systems ecology.
Organophosphorus chemistry is the scientific study of the synthesis and properties of organophosphorus compounds, which are organic compounds containing phosphorus. [1] They are used primarily in pest control as an alternative to chlorinated hydrocarbons that persist in the environment.
The amount of nitrogen in a chemical substance can be determined by the Kjeldahl method. [21] In particular, nitrogen is an essential component of nucleic acids, amino acids and thus proteins, and the energy-carrying molecule adenosine triphosphate and is thus vital to all life on Earth. [20]
Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at seventh in total abundance in the Milky Way and the Solar System.
Hexachlorophosphazene is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula (N P Cl 2) 3.The molecule has a cyclic, unsaturated backbone consisting of alternating phosphorus and nitrogen atoms, and can be viewed as a trimer of the hypothetical compound N≡PCl 2 (phosphazyl dichloride).