411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Canton's phosphorus
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Etymology
Named after John Canton, British physicist.
Noun
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en obsolete inorganic compound A poorly-characterized phosphorescent substance obtained by calcining oyster-shells and sulfur.
en 1861 John Henry Pepper The Playbook of Metals: Including Personal Narratives of Visits to Coal, Lead, Copper, and Tin Canton's phosphorus is made by calcining oyster-shells in the open fire for half an hour; after which, the whitest and largest pieces are selected, mixed with about one-third their weight of flowers of sulphur, pressed into a crucible with a closely-luted cover, and heated red hot for an hour.
en eponyms