Black phosphorus and the 2D monolayer material called phosphorene gained reasonable interest in the past two years. Due to the structural anisotropy and the non-vanishing band gap few layer phosphorene and monolayer phosphorene are potential candidate for semiconductor, sensor and optical applications. Herein we will present a brief overview on the synthesis and growth of black phosphorus, the precursor material for phosphorene. A short range vapor transport results in the effective synthesis of large, high quality black phosphorus crystals which can be easily delaminated afterwards. This principle is commonly used to produce this allotrope in industry and academia. In situ experiments using neutrons have been performed to follow the growth of black phosphorus. A growing principle has been derived from isothermal measurements and an upper and lower synthesis temperature has been determined. We will present some applications of phosphorene and doped phosphorene thin-layer materials prepared by the above mentioned approach. After a short and brief overview on theoretically predicted and realized aspects and applications of phosphorus and phosphorene chemistry, we will try to compare this outcome with other 2D materials in the field.