*p=new int; invalid conversion?

[CharChen]

int *p;
*p=new int;
Why is this an invalid conversion?
p is a pointer, and *p is the integer that p is pointing at. "new int" is also an int, right?

[Disch]

new int; does not return an integer. It allocates an unnamed integer somewhere in memory, and returns a pointer to it.

int* p;
p = new int;  // new int creates an unnamed integer (let's call that int 'foo')
   // it then returns a pointer to foo
   // we assign that pointer to p
   // p now points to foo

*p = 5;  // assigns 5 to foo

delete p;  // does not delete p, but instead, deletes whatever p points to
   // since p points to foo, this will delete foo 

[CharChen]

Thanks a lot.