'The Devil's element': the dark side of phosphorus

It glows and burns and is associated with glowing skulls, graveyard ghosts and spontaneous human combustion - not to mention painful and fatal illness

I would like to tell you about phosphorus, my favourite element in the periodic table. Phosphorus is an excellent candidate for a poison blog as there are a surprising number of ways it can kill you. It is also the most appropriate element for a Hallowe'en blog as it is easily the spookiest member of the periodic table and associated with stories of alchemists, glowing skulls, graveyard ghosts and spontaneous human combustion.

Phosphorus is an essential part of life. When combined with oxygen to make phosphates, it holds our DNA together, makes our bones strong and carries out fundamental chemical reactions within our cells. But phosphorus also has its dark side. Some have described it as "the Devil's element".