Geological history: the cycle of phosphorus in nature

The cycle of substances is one of the most important regularities in nature. Water in the reservoirs evaporates under the influence of the sun, rises into the atmosphere, and then returns to rivers and lakes as rain. Plants grow out of the soil, become obsolete and are transformed into humus in the same soil. The same happens with many mineral substances.

Phosphorus and its properties

The cycle of phosphorus in nature is very interesting in its own way. In the natural environment, this element is widely distributed. The share of its content in the earth's interior is about 0.12%. By the degree of distribution of chemicals in the cortex, he is in the thirteenth place. There are no large deposits of this substance. Phosphorus in nature Refers to the so-called scattered elements.

Another property of phosphorus is its high degree of oxidation. Therefore, in its pure form, it does not exist in nature. But it is a part of 120 minerals and their compounds, the most valuable of which are apatites and phosphorites. Moreover, scientists have long identified the entry of this biogenic element in plant tissues, fruits and seeds. Such substances are called phospholipids. The cycle of phosphorus in nature is observed at the birth and death of plants.

A significant proportion of phosphorus atoms are found in the tissues of living organisms, protein compounds, DNA molecules and ATP. Biologists call it "an element of life". Another name is an "element of thought", because phosphorus activates the brain, nourishes it, stimulates mental activity.

The phosphorus cycle in nature affects all layers of the ecosystem, excluding only the atmosphere. This happens in this way: in the course of their life microorganisms, soil acids gradually destroy apatite deposits. Elements of phosphorus become part of the biochemical cycle. The phosphates present in the soil feed the plants. Phosphorus compounds are deposited in fruits and seeds.

Among the plants that are actively used as food for animals and humans, on the first place are legumes. They serve as food for humans and herbivores, and phosphorus is a building material for animal bones and for human skeletons. This role is performed by calcium salts of phosphoric acid. If there is a deficiency in the body, the body begins to suffer from various pathologies on this soil: brittle bones, etc. A large amount of phosphorus is contained in the teeth. Phosphorus-containing substances undergo chemical treatment in digestive processes, are split and synthesized into new organic compounds. With faeces phosphates again fall into the soil.

In the cycle of phosphorus in nature, the person, his reasonable activity, actively interferes. This element is widely used in match production. Many varieties of stainless steel are coated with a thin layer of phosphate to make it more resistant to weathering. Zinc, aluminum, and other metals are subjected to similar treatment. Of the phosphorus compounds do drugs.

The geological cycle of substances includes fertilizers, which are added to the soil in accordance with the needs of agriculture. Natural phosphates also go to their production.

In some areas of terrestrial rocks, organic phosphate accumulations have been discovered in huge quantities. For example, guano - a bird's litter, in which a large proportion of phosphorus. It is found in places of mass nesting of birds - in the Pacific islands, in Peru, etc. Deposits of individual phosphate compounds in terrestrial rocks can tell about different geological cataclysms, as a result of which animals died massively. The biolitic hypothesis of the formation of phosphorites speaks of the global extinction of marine organisms.