oh my god, the secret truth of phosphorus

**pyrocam** · 4th July 2005, 14:18

ok, well, before I start, I am quite sure that it isnt made in this method anymore. also Id like to point out I was looking for something else when I stubled upon this

ref:
http://www.uni-regensburg.de/Fakulta...eusch/link.htm
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennig_Brand

The Shocking History of Phosphorus

or Fire from Urine

"More than 300 years ago, in 1669, Hennig Brand, a Hamburg alchemist, like most chemists of his day, was trying to make gold. He let urine stand for days in a tub until it putrified. Then he boiled it down to a paste, heated this paste to a high temperature, and drew the vapours into water where they could condense - to gold. To his surprise and disappointment, however, he obtained instead a white, waxy substance that glowed in the dark. Brand had discovered phosphorus, the first element isolated other than the metals and non-metals, such as gold, lead and sulphur, that were known to the ancient civilisations. The word phosphorus comes from the Greek and means light bearer."

A.D.F. Toy and E.N. Walsh, Phosphorus chemistry in everyday living, 2nd. ed. (Washington: ACS, 1987)

**placidfemme** · 4th July 2005, 14:22

ewww surely they've found another way to make them now?

**Ixion** · 4th July 2005, 14:29

Originally Posted by placidfemme

ewww surely they've found another way to make them now?

It is nowdays made by reduction of phosphate rock. China is the largest world supplier. Phoisphorus manufacture presents a number of extremely serious OSH and environmental problems. Basically, don't get a job there. Very very nasty stuff phosphorus. Very nasty indeed.

**Waylander** · 4th July 2005, 14:42

I just had to open this thread didn't I.

On the other hand considering that what you quoted says that phosphorus is made from pee, I'm more worried about what exactly you were searching for..

**bugjuice** · 4th July 2005, 14:42

ewwwww and to think they make glow-in-the-dark teeth....

**Lou Girardin** · 4th July 2005, 15:28

White phosphorus makes excellent grenade filling.

**placidfemme** · 4th July 2005, 16:41

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

White phosphorus makes excellent grenade filling.

P.S. don't try this at home

**Sutage** · 4th July 2005, 17:35

cough up man
what were you searching for

**ManDownUnder** · 4th July 2005, 18:33

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

White phosphorus makes excellent grenade filling.

Mental notes
*don't piss Lou off*
*run if you see Lou throwing anything small at you*
*don't piss Lou off*

YEESH man... I really worry about you sometime LOL (and have a laugh along the way...)
MDU

**DingDong** · 4th July 2005, 18:42

Originally Posted by Ixion

It is nowdays made by reduction of phosphate rock. China is the largest world supplier. Phoisphorus manufacture presents a number of extremely serious OSH and environmental problems. Basically, don't get a job there. Very very nasty stuff phosphorus. Very nasty indeed.

your general knowledge astounds me........

**Waylander** · 4th July 2005, 18:43

Originally Posted by wayne kohi

your general knowledge astounds me........

Nature had to ballance out the insanity that is Ixion.

**Ixion** · 4th July 2005, 18:56

Originally Posted by placidfemme

P.S. don't try this at home

Definately . Nasty stuff

Thermate and phosphorus burns are the worst and most agonizing burns because thermate and phosphorus burn at such a high speed and temperature that one particle of those chemicals burns through almost everything (skin, nerves, muscles and even bones), even in places where there is little or no oxygen. In addition, white phosphorus is very poisonous. A dose of 50-100 milligrams would be lethal for the average sized person.

If you DO mess about with white phosphorus, remember that it must always be kept under water to prevent it spontaneously igniting and killing everything in a wide radius.

I used to have some in a little jar, filled with water. Left it behind in a house I moved out of years ago. Always felt a bit guilty about that.

**scumdog** · 4th July 2005, 22:11

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

White phosphorus makes excellent grenade filling.

The old man told me about a guy he saw die after a bullet hit the white phosprorus grenade that the guy was wearing on his belt, reckoned it was not too flash a way to die - the phosphorus just kept burning into him and the bullet wound was nothing on the burning.

**pyrocam** · 5th July 2005, 11:29

Originally Posted by Waylander

I just had to open this thread didn't I.

On the other hand considering that what you quoted says that phosphorus is made from pee, I'm more worried about what exactly you were searching for..

for the record I was doing a bit of research into thermite. you will notice its a bit further down the page

**Lou Girardin** · 5th July 2005, 12:04

Originally Posted by scumdog

The old man told me about a guy he saw die after a bullet hit the white phosprorus grenade that the guy was wearing on his belt, reckoned it was not too flash a way to die - the phosphorus just kept burning into him and the bullet wound was nothing on the burning.

The Yanks call it Willie Peter.
You wouldn't want to get some on either.