White phosphorus is only slightly soluble in water and can be stored under water. The odour of combustion of this form has a characteristic garlic smell, and samples are commonly coated with white ' diphosphorus pentoxide', which consists of P 4O 10 tetrahedral with oxygen inserted between the phosphorus atoms and at their vertices. It is toxic, causing severe liver damage on ingestion and phossy jaw from chronic ingestion or inhalation. It glows greenish in the dark (when exposed to oxygen) and is highly flammable and pyrophoric (self-igniting) upon contact with air. For this reason it is also called yellow phosphorus. White phosphorus is a translucent waxy solid that quickly becomes yellow when exposed to light. The β form is believed to have a hexagonal crystal structure. It has a body-centered cubic crystal structure, and transforms reversibly into the β form at 195.2 K. The α form is defined as the standard state of the element, but is actually metastable under standard conditions. The molecule is described as consisting of six single P–P bonds. The tetrahedral arrangement results in ring strain and instability. White phosphorus, yellow phosphorus or simply tetraphosphorus ( P 4) exists as molecules made up of four atoms in a tetrahedral structure. White phosphorus sample, with a chunk removed from the corner to expose un-oxidized material For military applications, see white phosphorus munitions. This section is about the chemistry of white phosphorus.

Phantom fury white phosphorus