Contents
Friedrich Wöhler
Synthesising urea from inorganic starting materials in 1828.
Urea synthesis · Metal isolation
- Born
- 31 July 1800
- Birthplace
- Eschersheim, Germany
- Died
- 23 September 1882
More people
Friedrich Wöhler
Friedrich Wöhler was a German chemist whose work helped connect organic and inorganic chemistry.
Early life
Home experiments
His father provided space for a small laboratory.
Medical studies
Qualified in medicine at Heidelberg before concentrating on chemistry.
Career
- 1823
Stockholm training
Worked with Jöns Jacob Berzelius.
- 1826
Berlin teaching
Began teaching chemistry at a technical school.
- 1836
Göttingen chair
Became professor of chemistry, remaining for decades.
Contributions
Urea synthesis
Produced the biological compound in a laboratory reaction.
Metal isolation
Isolated beryllium and yttrium in metallic form.
Benzoyl research
Worked with Justus von Liebig on groups of atoms behaving as chemical units.
Beyond the lab
Meteorites
Collected and analysed stones from space.
Scientific friendship
Maintained a long correspondence and collaboration with Liebig.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Further source ↗Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
Photo: Rudolph Hoffmann. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
