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Hennig Brand (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛnɪç bʁant]; c. 1630 – c. 1692 or c. 1710) was a German alchemist who lived and worked in Hamburg. In 1669, Brand accidentally discovered the chemical element phosphorus while searching for the "philosopher's stone", a substance which was believed to transmute base metals into gold.
Hennig Brand was a German chemist who, through his discovery of phosphorus, became the first known discoverer of an element. A military officer and self-styled physician, Brand has often received the undeserved title “last of the alchemists” because of his continual search for the philosopher’s.
Learn about Hennig Brand, the first person to discover a chemical element by evaporating and heating human urine. Find out his life story, his alchemical quest, and his legacy in this web page.
One night in 1669 German physician Hennig Brandt attempted to create the philosophers’ stone. This elusive goal had been pursued by alchemists for centuries for good reason: it could transform base metals into gold.
Brand heated concentrated urine with sand and collected the products under water, naming them "phosphorus" for their glow. He also discovered that phosphorus burst into flame when exposed to air, but did not publish his results.
Feb 2, 2016 · German alchemist Hennig Brand started with about 1,500 gallons of urine in his 17th century hunt for gold. Discovering phosphorus was just a nice surprise. Know a modern tale of scientific luck?
Jan 10, 2019 · Hennig Brand, a 17th-century alchemist and merchant from Hamburg, Germany, accidentally found phosphorus in human urine while trying to make the philosopher's stone. Phosphorus is vital for life, but also toxic and endangered, and recycling it from human waste may be the solution.
