In the 17th century, many thought they could produce precious metals from cheaper materials. German alchemist Hennig Brand aspired to produce gold—from urine. Did the German, who was also searching for the ‘philosopher’s stone’, succeed in his endeavour?
No medal, so what did he discover?
Brand and his wife set up a lab in his basement and employed his stepson as his assistant, according to NPR. The experiment included evaporating urine and many other techniques which Brand hoped would turn the liquid into gold. Eventually, he did end up discovering something. But it was not gold
5,600 litres
of urine collected by Brand as part of his experiment
From pee to P
Brand had discovered phosphorus (symbol P and atomic number 15). Next to calcium, it is the most abundant mineral in the body, according to the University of Maryland’s Medical Center. It is needed for the growth, and repair of all tissues and cells, and for the production of DNA and RNA
Mysterious phosphorus
Phosphorus in its elemental form is waxy and catches fire spontaneously when exposed to air. Remember the terrifying hound of supernatural origin in Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles?
A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen. Fire burst from its open mouth, its eyes glowed with a smouldering glare, its muzzle and hackles were outlined in flickering flame The Hound of the Baskervilles
Doyle’s famous detective Sherlock Holmes would conclude the reason for the hound’s appearance was the application of “a cunning preparation of phosphorus”