Question

Both white phosphorus and red phosphorus are made up only of phosphorus atoms.Does this mean they are both pure substances? Could they be compounds?

Answer 1

True, both of the red and white phosphorus is a pure substance.

Both red and white phosphorus is made of phosphor element but they have a different structure which causes them to have a different color. This phenomenon called allotropes when a chemical element has two or more different form.They are not compounds as they are only made of phosphorus. A compound should be made by at least two different elements.