white phosphorus

English

Noun

white phosphorus (uncountable)

  1. (chemistry) The most common allotrope of phosphorus; a yellow-white waxy solid that is insoluble in water and spontaneously combusts on exposure to air to form clouds of phosphorus pentoxide; used as a military smokescreen and as an incendiary weapon.
    • 2023 October 9, Ruth Michaelson, Ben Doherty, “Israel ‘going on the offensive’ after retaking territories overrun by Hamas”, in The Guardian‎[1], →ISSN:
      The IDF spokesperson provided no comment on whether it had halted the practice, or the reported use of white phosphorus in Gaza, a densely populated area and home to more than 2 million people.

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