In 1784, Meyer discovered that he could obtain a similar material from iron and
phosphoric acid, but failed to extract phosphoric acid from hydrosiderum [65]. He
correctly concluded that his new metal “was no more”. Klaproth independently
made the same discovery, but also failed to extract phosphorus from hydrosiderum
[66]. It was Scheele who finally solved the last part of the mystery with the brittle,
phosphorus containing iron.
Scheele dissolved cold-short iron in sulphuric acid, which gave a yellowish
residue, which he treated with alkali [67]. This gave iron oxides (ochre) and a
solution, from which he precipitated mercury phosphate with mercury (II) chloride.
By heating the mercury phosphate with powdered charcoal in a retort, he observed
phosphorous vapours, appearing like auroras in the receiver. Thus, Scheele had
helped to prove that phosphorus-rich ores gave brittle iron, [68] an important
discovery for the iron industry. In the same paper, Scheele included experiments on
a sodium phosphate salt obtained from urine, Sal perlatum, which had been
assumed to contain phosphoric acid, but which Joseph Proust (1754–1826) claimed
he had disproved. Scheele showed that he could obtain phosphorus from Sal perlatum in the same fashion as from cold-short iron. The blue iron phosphate that
Scheele described in his paper, and which Klaproth had called “natural Prussian
blue” must be some sort of mixed valence compound. The mineral vivianite
(Fe 3 (PO 4 ) 2 ∙ 8 H 2 O) is green or blue, and is an example of such a naturally
occurring mixed valence compound.
References
1. Oseen CW (1940) Torbern Bergman och Carl Wilhelm Scheele. KVA, Stockholm
2. Oseen CW (1940) Torbern Bergman och Carl Wilhelm Scheele. KVA, Stockholm, p 4
3. Scheele CW (1774) Om Brun-sten eller Magnesia, och dess Egenskaper KVA Handl 35:89–
116
4. Scheele CW (1774) Om Brun-sten eller Magnesia nigra, och dess egenskaper KVA Handl
35:177–194
5. Hjelm PJ (1786) Åminnelse-tal öfver…Herr Torbern Bergman, Stockholm
6. Lennartson A (2017) The chemical works of carl Wilhelm Scheele. Springer, Cham, p 25
7. Bergman T (1774) Tilläggning om Brunsten KVA Handl 35:194–196
8. von Engeström (1774) Ytterligare Anmärkningar vid herr Scheeles Rön om Magnesia KVA
handl 35:196–200
9. Rinman S (1774) Beskrifning på en ny art af spat-formig Magnesia eller Brunsten, ifrån
Klapperuds Jern-Grufva i Fresko Socken på Dals Land KVA Handl 35:201–1205
10. Fors H (2008) Matematiker mot Linneaner. In: Widmalm S (ed) Vetenskapens sociala
strukturer. Nordic Academic Press, Lund, p 184
11. Davy H (1811) The Bakerian Lecture, On some of the combinations of oxymuriatic acid and
oxygene, and on the chemical relations of these principles, to inflammable bodies. Phil Trans
101:1–35
12. Cassebaum H. (1982) Carl Wilhelm Scheele. BSB B.G: Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft,
Leipzig, p 84
13. (1932) Gemelin’s Handbuch der Anorganischen chemie, 8th edition, Barium. Verlag Chemie,
Weinheim, p 1
15.9 Hydrosiderum—The Metal that did not Exist
227
phosphoric acid, but failed to extract phosphoric acid from hydrosiderum [65]. He
correctly concluded that his new metal “was no more”. Klaproth independently
made the same discovery, but also failed to extract phosphorus from hydrosiderum
[66]. It was Scheele who finally solved the last part of the mystery with the brittle,
phosphorus containing iron.
Scheele dissolved cold-short iron in sulphuric acid, which gave a yellowish
residue, which he treated with alkali [67]. This gave iron oxides (ochre) and a
solution, from which he precipitated mercury phosphate with mercury (II) chloride.
By heating the mercury phosphate with powdered charcoal in a retort, he observed
phosphorous vapours, appearing like auroras in the receiver. Thus, Scheele had
helped to prove that phosphorus-rich ores gave brittle iron, [68] an important
discovery for the iron industry. In the same paper, Scheele included experiments on
a sodium phosphate salt obtained from urine, Sal perlatum, which had been
assumed to contain phosphoric acid, but which Joseph Proust (1754–1826) claimed
he had disproved. Scheele showed that he could obtain phosphorus from Sal perlatum in the same fashion as from cold-short iron. The blue iron phosphate that
Scheele described in his paper, and which Klaproth had called “natural Prussian
blue” must be some sort of mixed valence compound. The mineral vivianite
(Fe 3 (PO 4 ) 2 ∙ 8 H 2 O) is green or blue, and is an example of such a naturally
occurring mixed valence compound.
References
1. Oseen CW (1940) Torbern Bergman och Carl Wilhelm Scheele. KVA, Stockholm
2. Oseen CW (1940) Torbern Bergman och Carl Wilhelm Scheele. KVA, Stockholm, p 4
3. Scheele CW (1774) Om Brun-sten eller Magnesia, och dess Egenskaper KVA Handl 35:89–
116
4. Scheele CW (1774) Om Brun-sten eller Magnesia nigra, och dess egenskaper KVA Handl
35:177–194
5. Hjelm PJ (1786) Åminnelse-tal öfver…Herr Torbern Bergman, Stockholm
6. Lennartson A (2017) The chemical works of carl Wilhelm Scheele. Springer, Cham, p 25
7. Bergman T (1774) Tilläggning om Brunsten KVA Handl 35:194–196
8. von Engeström (1774) Ytterligare Anmärkningar vid herr Scheeles Rön om Magnesia KVA
handl 35:196–200
9. Rinman S (1774) Beskrifning på en ny art af spat-formig Magnesia eller Brunsten, ifrån
Klapperuds Jern-Grufva i Fresko Socken på Dals Land KVA Handl 35:201–1205
10. Fors H (2008) Matematiker mot Linneaner. In: Widmalm S (ed) Vetenskapens sociala
strukturer. Nordic Academic Press, Lund, p 184
11. Davy H (1811) The Bakerian Lecture, On some of the combinations of oxymuriatic acid and
oxygene, and on the chemical relations of these principles, to inflammable bodies. Phil Trans
101:1–35
12. Cassebaum H. (1982) Carl Wilhelm Scheele. BSB B.G: Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft,
Leipzig, p 84
13. (1932) Gemelin’s Handbuch der Anorganischen chemie, 8th edition, Barium. Verlag Chemie,
Weinheim, p 1
15.9 Hydrosiderum—The Metal that did not Exist
227