Early Life
Born in 1800 in Eschersheim near Frankfurt, Wöhler was the son of a veterinarian and agriculturist. As a boy he collected minerals and performed chemistry experiments at home. He studied medicine at Marburg and Heidelberg, earning a medical degree in 1823, but was persuaded by Leopold Gmelin to pursue chemistry. He then spent a year in Stockholm working under the great Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius.
Major Discoveries
- 01Synthesis of urea from ammonium cyanate (1828)
- 02Isolated aluminium (1827) and beryllium and yttrium (1828)
- 03Discovered calcium carbide and derived acetylene from it
- 04Co-discovered the concept of functional groups (benzoyl radical) with Liebig
- 05Studied isomerism alongside Liebig's work on fulminates
- 06Prepared silicon nitride and silane compounds
Famous Experiments
- 01Heated ammonium cyanate and obtained urea, an organic compound from a living body
- 02Reduced aluminium chloride with potassium to obtain aluminium metal
- 03Worked with Liebig on bitter almond oil to identify the benzoyl radical
Awards & Honors
- 01Copley Medal of the Royal Society (1872)
- 02Foreign Member of the Royal Society (1854)
- 03Order Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts
Legacy
Wöhler's urea synthesis is seen as the symbolic birth of organic chemistry, showing that life's molecules obey ordinary chemical laws. As a professor in Göttingen for nearly 50 years, he trained thousands of chemists.
Fun Facts
- 01He wrote to Berzelius: 'I can make urea without the use of kidneys'
- 02Aluminium was then more precious than gold
- 03He and Liebig remained lifelong friends despite opposite temperaments
- 04He translated many of Berzelius's works into German