Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/sodium-compounds

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Microcosmic salt

Chemical compound found in urine

Chemical compound found in urine

Microcosmic salt (see infobox for systematic names) is a salt found in urine with the formula Na(NH4)HPO4. It is left behind in the residues after extracting the urea from dried urine crystals with alcohol. In the mineral form, microcosmic salt is called stercorite.

Its name was coined in Latin (sal microcosmicum) by Paracelsus in the 16th century, but it was also referenced by Pseudo-Geber in the late Middle Ages; another alchemical name for it was sal urinae fixum (as opposed to sal urinae volatile). The first extraction of pure phosphorus came from this salt in the 17th century, when Hennig Brandt attempted to extract gold from urine.

Microcosmic salt is used in the laboratory as an essential ingredient of the microcosmic salt bead test for identification of metallic radicals on the basis of the color they produce in oxidizing or reducing flame, in hot or cold conditions.

Microcosmic salts form a tetrahydrate.

References

References

  1. (1983). "The Merck Index". Merck and Co. Inc..
  2. Mellor, Joseph William. (1922). "Supplement to Mellor's Comprehensive Treatise on Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry: suppl. 3. K, Rb, Cs, Fr". Longmans, Green and Company.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

sodium-compounds ammonium-compounds phosphates
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Microcosmic salt — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report