Let the rest cool. Humans were alchemical factories, turning ordinary substances like meat and grain into all kinds of things. Back in the 17th century, the German chemist Hennig Brandt chose urine to isolate elemental phosphorous. In his experiment, he boiled hundreds of litres of urine down to a thick syrup until a red oil distilled up from it. Red phosphorus is a non-poisonous, dark red powder that is not very inflammable. For this reason, we now use red phosphorus in matches. This cools to form solid phosphorus. Collis King. Extracting Red Phosphorus from Matchbooks: Rip off matchbook covers. (And keep them in lightproof paper bags - also supplied - of course.) How do you get phosphorus from urine? During this week, get … It glowed, perpetually, in the dark. Phosphorus, (IPA: /ˈfɒsfərəs/, Greek: phôs meaning "light", and phoros meaning "bearer"), is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. The discovery of phosphorus was made when an alchemist, Hennig Brand, tried to make gold from urine. Discard the salt, mix the red oil back into the black material. When heated with carbon (charcoal) this decomposed to produce white phosphorus and sodium pyrophosphate. The easiest thing to be got from the body was urine, and Brand, somehow, acquired a lot of it. 1. That sounds like quite an achievement, but Brand's life wasn't one that should, necessarily, be emulated. His first step was marrying well; he was an officer in the army, but his wife had enough money for him to leave. He collected the oil and cooled down the urine. ". Boil the urine until it's a "syrup." About 30 years ago, my family discovered we had the genetic mutation that could yield porphyria. White phosphorus can be converted to red phosphorus, as they, plus the black form, are all allotropes of phosphorus. Are Flush Toilets Appropriate in Third World Countries? Phosphorus is essential to plant growth, but there’s a looming shortage, which could leave global agriculture without the fertilizer needed to feed growing populations. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Earth.It has a concentration in the Earth's crust of about one gram per kilogram (compare copper at about 0.06 grams). Phosphate is a charged particle (ion) that contains the mineral phosphorus. Mix the oil back into the black upper part. Phosphorous is essential for life, and it's used in most fertilizers. Grab that oil! Some scientists think, with some tweaks to our sanitation system, human urine could be mined for the necessary phosphorus. However, at ordinary temperatures the conversion of the white allo… Then he said it: "Urine trouble now! Back in the 17th century, the German chemist Hennig Brandt chose urine to isolate elemental phosphorous. From left to right: white phosphorus, red phosphorus, violet phosphorus & violet phosphorus. I concur with Wes. It’s estimated that Brand used 5,500 liters (about 1500 gallons) of urine to produce just 120 grams of phosphorus, or nearly 46 … It’s something that most people wouldn’t even think of trying to do, but back in the mid seventeenth century peoples general knowledge of chemistry was not as advanced as it is today. Terribly rare and precious elements were popular, but so were human fluids. Heat until a red oil distills up from it, and draw that off. Channel the phosphorus into water to cool it down. Follow. o 4 The phosphate urine test measures the amount of phosphate in a sample of urine collected over 24 hours (24-hour urine test). It is done because both the high level and low level of phosphorus can be dangerous for our health. It exists in two major forms – white phosphorus and red phosphorus. IO9 describes the process: You then mix the urine with the tasty powder and heat it in a retort like that kid in the chemistry set has. You can obtain it by boiling urine with carbon or by reacting bone-ash with sulfuric acid and carbon. White and red phosphorus are monotropic allotropes – the latter is stable at all temperatures up to its melting point. The observed symptoms of rickets in this disease are not amenable to vitamin D therapy, massive phosphaturia in this case is an important sign for the diagnosis. 5 years ago | 154 views. Here is a weekend project for Sami, TreeHugger's champion peecycler: make phosphorus from your own urine! When I visited my family doctor, he said I'd have to submit urine for testing and stepped out of the room. Keep it in a room away from people. This makes urine the single largest source of phosphorus from urban areas. The buyers sold the secret to others, but it remained valuable and well-kept until 1737, when someone sold it to the Academy of Science in Paris and it was published. Heat the syrup until a red oil comes out of it. How do you get phosphorus from urine? Lloyd Alter is Design Editor for Treehugger and teaches Sustainable Design at Ryerson University in Toronto. Figure 4: red phosphorus is in safety matches. How to Make Phosphorus o 1 Allow urine to sit in an open container for 7 days. (NH 4)NaHPO 4 —› NaPO 3 + NH 3 + H 2 O This makes urine the single largest source of phosphorous from urban areas. Red phosphorus, a relatively stable allotrope of phosphorus, has many uses. The substance will cool into two parts, a black upper part and a grainy lower part. Test Overview. The former is a waxy, yellowish-white, very inflammable, and poisonous solid. Urine is an excellent source of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and trace elements. Grab that oil! These conditions can be the indication of some serious diseases. Browse more videos. ** Nitrogen promotes leafy growth, phosphorus promotes root development and seed germination. Yellow Is the New Green: Is Pee-Cycling Greener Than a Composting Toilet? Brand (also known as Dr. Teutonicus) evaporated urine and so produced ammonium sodium hydrogenphosphate (microcosmic salt), which on heating produces sodium phosphite. This makes urine the single largest source of phosphorus from urban areas. In rickets, the amount of phosphorus released in urine increases 2-10 times in comparison with the norm. Hennig Brand discovered the element of phosphorus in 1669. Boil the urine until it’s a “syrup.” Heat the syrup until a red oil comes out of it. Cut out and save all the striking strips. Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Fertilizer, which is a soluble phosphate, is produced by treating phosphate rock with sulphuric acid. Heat that mixture strongly for 16 hours. It's toxic and explosive in its pure form, but chemistry is fun, right? He returned with 4 - 1 gallon plastic containers and told me I was to use them for a week and return however many were used at the end of the week. Brand capitalized on that — probably to his wife's great relief. History and Design of the Bathroom Part 7: Putting a Price on Poop and Pee, 13 Natural Solutions for Killing and Deterring Ants, 8 Natural & Homemade Insecticides: Save Your Garden Without Killing the Earth. All the right elements that are necessary in large quantities for plant growth. Let the rest cool. He collected the oil and cooled down the urine. She didn't have to live in poverty only because she was born in the 1600s, and so died young. Feel like doing a lot of horrible things with pee this weekend? This is thanks to the phosphates in urine. How do you get phosphorus from urine? Of course, it will take a long time to convert. That's not making red phosphorus, that's separating it from the other junk in match strikers. Sadly, his chosen path for this increase in wealth was alchemy. IO9 suggests that you wear protective clothing and eye protection, and don't breathe, because "Urine contains urea, and that breaks down into ammonia. Loading... How to make white phosphorus - YouTube Phosphorus occurs in several allotropicforms, the most common of which are white phosphorus and red phosphorus (see Figure 2). Back in the 17th century, the German chemist Hennig Brandt chose urine to isolate elemental phosphorus. The body needs phosphorus to build and repair bones and teeth, help nerves function, and make muscles contract. Back in the 17th century, the German chemist Hennig Brandt chose urine to isolate elemental phosphorus. Subscribe Subscribed Unsubscribe 24 24. How to Make Phosphorus o 1 Allow urine to sit in an open container for 7 days. No, I didn't have to FILL them all. Then again, Sami, maybe this isn't such a good idea. Heat the syrup until a red oil comes out of it. The substance will cool into two parts, a black upper part and a grainy lower part. Best thing is to go buy it. Playing next. [NOTE: This is a retouched combination picture that … He wanted to come up with the philosopher's stone, which turned everyday elements into gold. Put the … Although no direct use was found for cold fire in Brand's life, people were fascinated with it. Phosphorus is an element that is essential for life. Don't Think Hygge Thoughts, They Are Evil and Unhealthy. Struvite produced from urine can be applied to fields just like any other fertiliser. Alchemists tried anything, but they generally fixated on certain substances. First white fumes come off, then an oil, then phosphorus. Voila. Oh, and you'd need about 1500 gallons of urine. It is not quite as flammable, but given enough energy it still reacts with air. After a complicated process of boiling and separating and recombining, he utterly failed to come up with gold. His steps to discovering this element were undignified, to say the least. How to make Red Phosphorus Dan Lutes. First, you should allow some urine (preferably your own but I don't judge) to sit in an open container for about a week. You want to be careful with your exposure." Under high heat, the oxygen in the phosphate reacts with carbon making carbon monoxide. Grab that oil! o 2 Mix two tablespoons of finely-powdered charcoal and two tablespoons of powdered cinnamon into the urine and stir. The oil will come back out, followed by phosphorus fumes. you can get the ions out of solution by electrolysis like you mentioned before. Scrape off the lower part and throw it away. At that stage, the science generally meant doing weird and dangerous things to any substance scientists could get their hands on. How to make Red Phosphorus. One litre of urine contains 11 gms of nitrogen, 1 gm of phosphorus and 2 gms of potassium. Let the rest cool. How to make Red Phosphorus. If you did, you'd be following in the footsteps of the least dignified scientist ever. Surprisingly, he got one. Could Harvesting Urine Ease Demand For Phosphorus? Mix the oil back into the black upper part. Report. Line up as many matchbook covers as you can cut through with tin snips or good, sharp scissors. 1. But it could run out. Allow the remainder to cool, where it consists of a black spongy upper part and a salty lower part. Drill 3/4" hole in the lid of the 5 gallon bucket. She didn't have enough money overall — at least not according to Brand — and so he used what money she had to try to make more money. The most pronounced phosphaturia in so-called phosphate diabetes. Oh, and keep it under water or it will spontaneously ignite. Boil the urine until it's a "syrup." How to Make Phosphorus Allow urine to sit in an open container for 7 days. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus is commonly found in inorganic phosphate rocks.. Due to its high reactivity, phosphorus is never found as a free element in nature. Once you have white phosphorus, you can make red phosphorus by adding just a -trace- of iodine to the water under which the white phosphorus must be kept, and putting the jar out in the sunlight. As soon as he got his hands on her money, he started his experiments again. When the phosphate loses its oxygen, it becomes phosphorus, which at high heat is emitted as a gas. Red Phosphorus and Violet Phosphorus (Polymeric) Red Phosphorus has more atoms linked together in a network than white phosphorus does, which makes it much more stable. Brand mourned for a time, and then went in search of another financially secure wife. Heat that for about 16 hours. He wants to make it from some other phosphorus compound, which is much harder. Forms of it are found in DNA, RNA, and all living cell membranes. This makes urine the single largest source of phosphorous from urban areas. About 1500 gallons of urine went into his experiment, but it paid off. It can only safely be kept under water. In this video I demonstrate how to produce white phosphorus from household materials. He sold the secret to anyone who would pay enough, including Wilhelm Leibniz, the inventor of calculus. o 3 Pour the urine/charcoal dust and cinnamon mixture into a glass retort with a glass tube leading into a second beaker filled with plain water. In his experiment, he boiled hundreds of litres of urine down to a thick syrup until a red oil distilled up from it. For example, it's a component of fireworks, flares and matches; it's used to dope silicon; and it's a plant fertilizer. He did, however, come up with something he called "cold fire." At the time, the only solid test for people not expressing obvious symptoms like my sister was looking for the presence of excess porphyrins in the urine. It was what we now call phosphorus. Scrape off the lower part and throw it away. Mix two tablespoons of finely-powdered charcoal and two tablespoons of powdered cinnamon into the urine and stir. It’s one of the six most abundant elements in any living organism. It wasn't cheap, and Brand burned through all of his wife's money. 21 Natural Home Remedies for Cats and Dogs, 10 Awesome and Cheap DIY Projects for Geeks, The Future We Want: The Year in Elon Musk, Tired of Winter? The phosphorus urine test is used to check the amount of phosphate present in our body.