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Hennig Brand, German Alchemist

Hennig Brand (1630 -1692/1710) was a German merchant and alchemist. Brand searched for the "philosopher's stone", a substance which supposedly transformed base metals into gold. By the time his first wife died he had exhausted her money on this pursuit. He then married his second wife Margaretha, a wealthy widow whose financial resources allowed him to continue the search. Around 1669 he heated residues from boiled-down urine on his furnace until the retort was red hot, glowing fumes filled it and liquid dripped out, bursting into flames. He captured the liquid in a jar and covered it, where it solidified and continued to give off a pale-green glow. What he collected was phosphorus, which he named from the Greek word for "light-bearing" or "light-bearer." Phosphorus must have been awe-inspiring to an alchemist: it was a product of man, and seeming to glow with a "life force" that did not diminish over time. He kept his discovery secret and worked with the phosphorus trying unsuccessfully to produce gold.
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Title:
Hennig Brand, German Alchemist
Caption:
Hennig Brand (1630 -1692/1710) was a German merchant and alchemist. Brand searched for the "philosopher's stone", a substance which supposedly transformed base metals into gold. By the time his first wife died he had exhausted her money on this pursuit. He then married his second wife Margaretha, a wealthy widow whose financial resources allowed him to continue the search. Around 1669 he heated residues from boiled-down urine on his furnace until the retort was red hot, glowing fumes filled it and liquid dripped out, bursting into flames. He captured the liquid in a jar and covered it, where it solidified and continued to give off a pale-green glow. What he collected was phosphorus, which he named from the Greek word for "light-bearing" or "light-bearer." Phosphorus must have been awe-inspiring to an alchemist: it was a product of man, and seeming to glow with a "life force" that did not diminish over time. He kept his discovery secret and worked with the phosphorus trying unsuccessfully to produce gold.
Credit:
Album / Science Source / Wellcome Images
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Image size:
3084 x 4500 px | 39.7 MB
Print size:
26.1 x 38.1 cm | 10.3 x 15.0 in (300 dpi)
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