Abstract: Impure white phosphorus values are purified to such extent as to be useful, e.g., for the preparation of P.sub.4 S.sub.10 therefrom, by (a) reacting liquid, impure white phosphorus with an aqueous suspension of a purifying amount of active charcoal to provide a mixture of purification, (b) separating such mixture of purification into a phosphorus-containing phase and an aqueous phase, (c) separating this phosphorus-containing phase, e.g., by means of a silica filter, into purified liquid white phosphorus and spent active charcoal, and (d) recovering the white phosphorus thus purified.