Canton's phosphorus

noun

A poorly-characterized phosphorescent substance obtained by calcining oyster-shells and sulfur.

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Meanings

nounCanton's phosphorus (uncountable)
  1. obsoleteuncountablechemistryA poorly-characterized phosphorescent substance obtained by calcining oyster-shells and sulfur.

    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.

    1861, John Henry Pepper, The Playbook of Metals: Including Personal Narratives of Visits to Coal, Lead, Copper, and Tin

Origin

Named after John Canton, British physicist.

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Cite this entry
APA

Canton's phosphorus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Canton's%20phosphorus

MLA

“Canton's phosphorus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Canton's%20phosphorus. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Canton's phosphorus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Canton's%20phosphorus.

Source: Canton's phosphorus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.