If you were wondering, P2O5 and P4O10 are basically the same compound but different forms. The gas phase is usually P4O10, and can be directly
condensed into a solid, with the definite molecular formula P4O10. This solid is analogous to "flowers of sulfur". In contrast, P2O5 implies that the
solid has definite chemical composition ratio, but is an intermolecular compound. The best analogy I can think of is comparing trioxane to
polyoxymethylene plastic (formaldehyde has several different chemical forms). |