Teste dein Wissen mit Aufgaben aus der ChemieOlympiade!: Zahnschmerzen und Leuchterscheinungen

The discovery of the element phosphorus can be traced back to experiments by the alchemist Hennig Brand in Hamburg in 1669. Brand was looking for the Philosopher's Stone, which he wanted to use for gold production. To do this, he collected about 6000 liters of urine ("golden yellow") from the latrines of Hamburg's barracks and worked it up by evaporating it to dryness and glowing the residue with the absence of air. Although he did not receive gold, he found a substance with an inexplicable glow that fascinated him and his contemporaries. Phosphorus is not only found in human urine, but also in animal and human faeces. When biologically active substances are broken down, the phosphorus is separated out in the form of phosphates. All too often, these end up where they do not belong: in waters where, among other things, they cause unwanted algae growth through eutrophication (enrichment of nutrients). At the same time, phosphate is becoming increasingly scarce due to unsustainable use of natural resources, so that phosphate recycling is increasingly important.