Friedrich Wöhler

Friedrich Wöhler (July 31, 1800 - September 23, 1882) was a German chemist, best-known for his synthesis of urea, but also the first to isolate several of the elements. PD image from http://wwwihm. ... PD image from http://wwwihm. ... July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining, as the final day of July. ... --66. ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ... A chemist is a scientist who specializes in chemistry. ... Urea Urea is an organic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, with the formula CON2H4 or (NH2)2CO and the structure shown right: Urea is also known as carbamide, especially in the recommended International Non-proprietry Names (rINN)in use in Europe e. ...

He was born in Eschersheim near Frankfurt am Main. In 1823 Wöhler finished his study of medicine in Heidelberg at the laboratory of Leopold Gmelin, who arranged for him to work under Jöns Jakob Berzelius in Stockholm. He taught chemistry from 1825 to 1831 at the Polytechnic School in Berlin; then till 1836 he was stationed at the Higher Polytechnic School at Cassel, and then he became Ordinary Professor of Chemistry in the University of Göttingen, where he remained till his death. Eschersheim is a district of Frankfurt am Main with about 14,000 inhabitants Eschersheim, first mentioned around 1000 A.D., is in the north of Frankfurt. ... Frankfurt am Main [ˈfraŋkfʊrt] is the largest city in the German state of Hessen and the fifth largest city of Germany. ... See drugs, medication, and pharmacology for substances that are used to treat patients. ... Map of Germany showing Heidelberg Heidelberg (halfway between Stuttgart and Frankfurt) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. ... Leopold Gmelin (August 2, 1788 - April 13, 1853) was a German chemist. ... Jöns Jakob Berzelius ( August 20, 1779 - August 7, 1848) was a Swedish chemist, who invented modern chemical notation and is considered one of the fathers of modern chemistry (along with John Dalton and Antoine Lavoisier). ... Stockholm [, ] is the capital and the largest City of Sweden. ... Events January 4 - King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies dies and is succeeded by his son Francis I of the Two Sicilies. ... 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Berlin (pronounced: , German ) is the capital of Germany and its largest city, with 3,387,404 inhabitants (as of September 2004); down from 4. ... Events January - Book by Maria Monk claims that she was sexually exploited in a Canadian convent February 3 - United States Whig Party holds its first convention in Albany, New York. ... Cassel is a town in the Nord France. ... The Georg-August University of Göttingen (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, often called the Georgia Augusta) was founded in 1734 by George II, King of Great Britain and Elector of Hanover, and opened in 1737. ...

Wöhler is regarded as a pioneer in organic chemistry as a result of his (accidental) synthesizing urea in 1828. Until 1828, it was believed that organic substances could only be formed under the influence of the vital force in the bodies of animals and plants. Wöhler proved by the artificial preparation of urea from inorganic materials that this view was false. Urea synthesis was integral for biochemistry because it showed that a compound known to be produced only by biological organisms could be produced in a laboratory, under controlled conditions, from inanimate matter. This in vitro synthesis of organic matter disproved the common theory (vitalism) about the vis vitalis, a transcendent "life force" needed for producing organic compounds. By showing that ammonium cyanate can become urea by an internal arrangement of its atoms, without gaining or losing in weight, Wöhler furnished one of the first and best examples of isomerism, demolishing the old view that equality of composition could not coexist in two bodies, A and B, with differences in their respective physical and chemical properties. In the year of his urea synthesis, Wöhler became professor at the age of 28. Two years later, in 1830, Wöhler published, jointly with Justus von Liebig, the results of a research on cyanic acid and cyanuric acid and on urea. Berzelius, in his report to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, called it the most important of all researches in physics, chemistry, and mineralogy published in that year. The results were quite unexpected, and furnished additional evidence in favour of isomerism. Organic chemistry is the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and synthesis of organic compounds. ... Urea Urea is an organic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, with the formula CON2H4 or (NH2)2CO and the structure shown right: Urea is also known as carbamide, especially in the recommended International Non-proprietry Names (rINN)in use in Europe e. ... Events January 4 - The Vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Comte de Villèle as Prime Minister of France. ... Biochemistry is the chemistry of life. ... In biology and ecology, an organism (in Greek organon = instrument) is a living being. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Wiktionary has a definition of: In vitro In vitro (Latin: within glass) means within a test tube, or, more generally, outside a living organism or cell. ... For the Jain teacher Mahāvīras philosophy, see vitalism (philosophy). ... Transcendental in philosophical contexts In philosophy, transcendental experiences are experiences of an exclusively human nature that are other-worldly or beyond the human realm of understanding. ... Cyanates are salts of cyanic acid. ... In chemistry, isomers are molecules with the same chemical formula and often with the same kinds of bonds between atoms, but in which the atoms are arranged differently. ... Freiherr Justus von Liebig (May 12, 1803 in Darmstadt, Germany - April 18, 1873 in Munich, Germany) was a German chemist. ... Cyanic acid is a colourless poisonous liquid with a boiling point of 23. ... Urea Urea is an organic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, with the formula CON2H4 or (NH2)2CO and the structure shown right: Urea is also known as carbamide, especially in the recommended International Non-proprietry Names (rINN)in use in Europe e. ... The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or , founded in 1739 by King Frederick I, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. ... In chemistry, isomers are molecules with the same chemical formula and often with the same kinds of bonds between atoms, but in which the atoms are arranged differently. ...

Wöhler was also a co-discoverer of beryllium and silicon, as well as the synthesis of calcium carbide, among others. In 1834, Wöhler and Liebig published an investigation of the oil of bitter almonds. They proved by their experiments that a group of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms can behave like an element, take the place of an element, and can be exchanged for elements in chemical compounds. Thus the foundation was laid of the doctrine of compound radicals, a doctrine which had a profound influence on the development of chemistry. General Name, Symbol, Number Beryllium, Be, 4 Series Alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2 (IIA), 2, s Density, Hardness 1848 kg/m3, 5. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silicon, Si, 14 Series metalloid Group, Period, Block 14 (IVA), 3, p Density, Hardness 2330 kg/m3, 6. ... Carbide is a polyatomic ion consisting of two carbon atoms or any salt containing such an ion. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Carbon, C, 6 Chemical series Nonmetals Group, Period, Block 14 (IVA), 2, p Density, Hardness 2267 kg/m3 0. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1 (IA), 1 , s Density, Hardness 0. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16 (VIA), 2, p Density, Hardness 1. ... Properties For alternative meanings see atom (disambiguation). ... A chemical compound is a chemical substance formed from two or more elements, with a fixed ratio determining the composition. ...

Since the discovery of potassium by Humphry Davy, it had been assumed that alumina, the basis of clay, contained a metal in combination with oxygen. Davy, Oerstedt, and Berzelius attempted the extraction of this metal, but failed. Wöhler then worked on the same subject, and discovered the metal aluminium. To him also is due the isolation of the elements yttrium, beryllium, and titanium, the observation that silicium can be obtained in crystals, and that some meteoric stones contain organic matter. He analyzed a number of meteorites, and for many years wrote the digest on the literature of meteorites in the Jahresbericht der Chemie; he possessed the best private collection of meteoric stones and irons existing. Wöhler and Sainte Claire Deville discovered the crystalline form of boron, and Wöhler and Buff the hydrogen compounds of silicium and a lower oxide of the same element. General Name, Symbol, Number potassium, K, 19 Series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1(IA), 4 , s Density, Hardness 856 kg/m3, 0. ... Humphry Davy Sir Humphry Davy (December 17, 1778 - May 29, 1829), often incorrectly spelled Humphrey, was an Cornish chemist. ... Aluminium oxide (or aluminum oxide) (Al2O3) is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen. ... For the town in the United States, see Clay, New York. ... General Name, Symbol, Number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13 (IIIA), 3, p Density, Hardness 2700 kg/m3, 2. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Yttrium, Y, 39 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 3 (IIIB), 5, d Density, Hardness 4472 kg/m3, __ Appearance Silvery white Atomic Properties Atomic weight 88. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Beryllium, Be, 4 Series Alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2 (IIA), 2, s Density, Hardness 1848 kg/m3, 5. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Titanium, Ti, 22 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 4, 4, d Density, Hardness 4507 kg/m3, 6 Appearance Silvery metallic Atomic properties Atomic weight 47. ... Worlds second largest Meteorite in Culiacan, Mexico A meteorite is a relatively small extra-terrestrial body that reaches the Earths surface. ...

Wöhler's discoveries had great influence on the theory of chemistry. The journals of every year from 1820 to 1881 contain contributions from him. It was remarked that "for two or three of his researches he deserves the highest honor a scientific man can obtain, but the sum of his work is absolutely overwhelming. Had he never lived, the aspect of chemistry would be very different from that it is now."

While sojourning at Cassel, Wöhler made, among other chemical discoveries, one for obtaining the metal nickel in a state of purity, and with two friends he founded a factory there for the preparation of the metal. This article is about the element nickel. ...

Works

• Lehrbuch der Chemie, Dresden, 1825, 4 vols.
• Grundriss der Anorganischen Chemie, Berlin, 1830
• Grundriss der Organischen Chemie, Berlin, 1840
• Praktischen Uebringen der Chemischen Analyse, Berlin, 1854