Bathroom Breaks Helped Discover Phosphorus
Hennig Brand was a German 17th century Alchemist. The ultimate goal of alchemists was to figure out a way to change base metals into gold. They were also trying to find the philosopher’s stone, which was supposed to grant its user immortality. In 1669, Brand collected a whopping 1,500 gallons of urine from everyone he knew. He baked and boiled the urine to see what was left once the liquid had evaporated. The point in this was because water was necessary for life, and he wanted to see what happened to water once it passed through a person. He believed that he might find a key to eternal life. What he found instead was a white powder that glowed in the dark. This was phosphorus.