Phosphorus

Elemental phosphorus is a reactive non-metal produced by reducing phosphate rock with coke and silica in a furnace, which drives off phosphorus vapour that is then condensed to white phosphorus. White phosphorus is extremely reactive and toxic, igniting spontaneously in air and finding application in numerous munitions, such as the Incendiary Shell, the Smoke Shell and the Tracer Bullet. It is converted to the more stable red phosphorus form for use in safety match heads and certain industrial processes. The more significant downstream product of phosphate rock, however, is not elemental phosphorus but phosphoric acid and phosphate fertilisers, which account for the vast majority of phosphate rock consumption globally.