Copper phosphide, , also copper(I) phosphide, cuprous phosphide, cuprophosphorus and phosphor copper, is a compound of

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

and

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...

, a

phosphide In chemistry, a phosphide is a compound containing the ion or its equivalent. Many different phosphides are known, with widely differing structures. Most commonly encountered on the binary phosphides, i.e. those materials consisting only of pho ...

of copper. It has the appearance of yellowish-grey very brittle mass of crystalline structure. It does not react with water. Recent crystallographic investigations have proven Cu₃P to be copper deficient, which means that the sum formula of this compound is more accurately expressed as Cu_3−xP. Copper phosphide has a role in

copper alloys Copper alloys are metal Alloy, alloys that have copper as their principal component. They have high resistance against corrosion. Of the large number of different types, the best known traditional types are bronze, where tin is a significant addi ...

, namely in

phosphor bronze A phosphor is a substance that exhibits the optical phenomenon, phenomenon of luminescence; it emits light when exposed to some type of radiant energy. The term is used both for fluorescence, fluorescent or phosphorescence, phosphorescent sub ...

. It is a very good deoxidizer of copper. Copper phosphide can be produced in a

reverberatory furnace A reverberatory furnace is a metallurgy, metallurgical or process Metallurgical furnace, furnace that isolates the material being processed from contact with the fuel, but not from contact with combustion gases. The term ''reverberation'' is use ...

or in a

crucible A crucible is a container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. Although crucibles have historically tended to be made out of clay, they can be made from any material that withstands temperat ...

, e.g. by a reaction of red

with a copper-rich material. It can also be prepared photochemically, by irradiating cupric hypophosphite with ultraviolet radiation. It can also be produced by reducing copper(II) phosphate with aluminum. When subjected to

ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of ...

light, copper phosphide shows

fluorescence Fluorescence is one of two kinds of photoluminescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, many substances will glow (fluoresce) with colore ...

. A blue-black film of copper phosphide forms on

white phosphorus White phosphorus, yellow phosphorus, or simply tetraphosphorus (P4) is an allotrope of phosphorus. It is a translucent waxy solid that quickly yellows in light (due to its photochemical conversion into red phosphorus), and impure white phospho ...

when subjected to a solution of copper salt; wounds containing particles of phosphorus therefore have to be washed with 1% solution of

copper sulfate Copper sulfate may refer to: * Copper(II) sulfate, CuSO4, a common, greenish blue compound used as a fungicide and herbicide * Copper(I) sulfate, Cu2SO4, an unstable white solid which is uncommonly used {{chemistry index Copper compounds ...

. The particles then can be easily removed, which is helped by their fluorescence. Formation of protective layer of copper phosphide is also used in cases of phosphorus ingestion, when gastric lavage with

is employed as part of the cure.

References

{{phosphorus compounds Phosphides Copper(I) compounds Deoxidizers