Phosphorus
Fósforo (P, Z=15)
- Date
- 1669 · confidence high
- Place
- Hamburg, Germany
- Credited to
- Hennig Brand
- People
- 👤 Hennig Brand1630–1710
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
The alchemist Brand distilled putrefied urine while searching for the philosopher's stone and obtained a waxy substance that glowed in the dark.
Brand kept the process secret; Kunckel and Boyle later reproduced it.
What it led to
- Phosphorus matches
- Phosphate fertilisers
- The first element discovered by an identifiable person
Built on
- Alchemical distillation and the alembicc. 300
- Alchemical distillation
- Urine chemistry