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Friedrich Wöhler (1800–1882), on the Bicentennial of His Birth

  • Chemistry and History
  • Published:
The Chemical Educator

Abstract

The life and contributions to various areas of chemistry of German chemist Friedrich Wöhler (1800–1882) are briefly sketched. His serendipitous synthesis of urea from ammonium cyanate in 1828, which is dealt with in some detail, challenged the vitalistic theory that organic compounds can be produced only by living organisms and led to today’s synthetic chemical industry and its host of products that we take for granted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, California State University, Fresno, Fresno, CA, 93740

    George B. Kauffman

  2. Internal Medicine Associates of Fresno, Fresno, CA, 93710

    Steven H. Chooljian

Authors
  1. George B. Kauffman
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  2. Steven H. Chooljian
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to George B. Kauffman.

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Cite this article

Kauffman, G.B., Chooljian, S.H. Friedrich Wöhler (1800–1882), on the Bicentennial of His Birth. Chem. Educator 6, 121–133 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00897010444a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00897010444a

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