The Phosphorus Cycle: Gas or No Gas?

[HBar]

My last chemistry class was in the 7th grade (currently 10th grader) so bear with me. Last year duing a biology class we were talking about ecology and how phosphorus would cycle through the environment. The reason that the phosphorus cycle is interesting is because phosphorus cannot be a gas, or so my teacher said. I Immediatly questioned this because in my chemistry class i remeber hearing that elements can be in any of the 4 states, but my teacher insisted that it could not. So, who was right?
-HBar

 

[LURCH]

He probably meant within a living organism. Phosphoros bnoils at just over 500^o (like maybe 550?).

 

[Chemicalsuperfreak]

Your teacher was right. Technically phosphorous can be a gas, but not in the biosphere, the temperature never gets hot enough. And besides, it doesn't occur as elemental phosphorous in the cycle but as inorganic phosphates.

 

[Bystander]

There are detectable phosphines floating about in the biosphere in the vapor phase --- that said, the quantity is probably insignificant as far as atmospheric transport of phosphorus.

 

[HBar]

I agree with him that natural vaporizing phosphorus in nature is a rare sight, but he claimed that it couldn't be a gas at all. Or maybe it was just a miscomunication.
But this brings up another question. Can all the elements be in all the 4 states?

 

[Chemicalsuperfreak]

Originally posted by HBar
I agree with him that natural vaporizing phosphorus in nature is a rare sight, but he claimed that it couldn't be a gas at all. Or maybe it was just a miscomunication.
But this brings up another question. Can all the elements be in all the 4 states?

I'm thinking it was a miscommunication. He probably meant it couldn't be a gas in the context of the phosphorous cycle.

To answer your question, yes, all elements can exist in all 4 states, with one exception. It is believed that helium will remain a liquid at absolute zero, but of course we'll never know.

 

[HBar]

Ahh, that's good to know. I was wondering about that for awhile. I have heard the same about helium, but i thought it was it cannot become a solid at absolute zero at 1 atmosphere of presure. I think that if the presure is increased it can become a solid.
-HBar