Tag: history of phosphorus

In a vain attempt at producing gold, 17th-century alchemist Hennig Brand accidentally discovered elemental Phosphorus while heating in a glass retort the residues from boiled-down urine. In modern times, this ‘liquid gold’ is seen as a potent source of increasingly limited phosphorus and useful nitrogen fertilizer. Its application in the garden is profound, but it…

In a vain attempt at producing gold, 17th-century alchemist Hennig Brand accidentally discovered elemental Phosphorus while heating in a glass retort the residues from boiled-down urine. In modern times, this ‘liquid gold’ is seen as a potent source of increasingly limited phosphorus and useful nitrogen fertilizer. Its application in the garden is profound, but it…

In a vain attempt at producing gold, 17th-century alchemist Hennig Brand accidentally discovered elemental Phosphorus while heating in a glass retort the residues from boiled-down urine. In modern times, this ‘liquid gold’ is seen as a potent source of increasingly limited phosphorus and useful nitrogen fertilizer. Its application in the garden is profound, but it…