Breaking up phosphorus with ultraviolet light may offer a safer, simpler way to build many industrial and household chemicals

Phosphorus, a mineral element found in rocks and bone, is a critical ingredient in fertilizers, pesticides, detergents and other industrial and household chemicals. Now chemists have developed a new way to attach phosphorus to organic compounds by first splitting the phosphorus with ultraviolet light. Their method eliminates the need for chlorine, which is usually required for such reactions and poses health risks to workers handling the chemicals.