9781422279502

Silver: CHAPTER 1

Discovery and History

S ome elements have interesting or exciting stories connected to their discovery. For example, phospho- rus, which can be found on the periodic table at num- ber 15, was identified in 1669 by German alchemist Hennig Brand. He was attempting to find the philosopher’s stone, a legendary object that was said to be capable of turn- ing metals like lead and iron into gold. During one experiment, Brand boiled down 1,500 gallons of urine that he had somehow gathered from the beer drinkers in his town. The result was a waxy, light-colored substance that glowed in the dark. While he had not found the secret of making gold, Brand had discov- ered a new element. He named it phosphorus, which is what ancient peoples called the planet Venus. That name came from

13