PHOSPHORUS In 1669 the German alchemist Hennig Brand discovered the chemical element known as phosphorus. The element got its name from the Greek phosphoros, meaning "light bearing," because in the dark and in moist air it can be seen to glow with a dull white light. For a time early scientists thought that phosphorus might be the source of the light emitted by fireflies and certain other creatures. It is not. The firefly' s light, however, …
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showed last 75 words of 906 total
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