Phosphorus, chemical symbol P, was first isolated as an element from thousands of litres of urine. Also found in guano, aka bird poo. Allan Blackman from AUT has the full story in ep 60 of Elemental.Phosphorus, from the Greek phosphoros meaning light-bearing, was the old name for Venus.It is the first element for which we know the exact year of discovery: 1669. Hennig Brand made 120 grams of phosphorus by boiling down 5,500 litres of urine, ending up with a waxy white solid that glowed in the dark without giving off heat. However, it wasn't recognised as an element until more than a century later.As well as white phosphorus, there are allotropes of red and black phosphorus.It is very flammable and was used in early matchsticks.Phosphates are important fertilisers, and one source of it is guano, aka bird poo. Allan Blackman from AUT has the full story, in ep 60 of Elemental.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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