Friedrich Wöhler
1800 – 1882 · aged 82
German chemist (1800-1882)
- Born
- 31 Jul 1800 · Eschersheim
- Died
- 23 Sept 1882 · Göttingen
Life timeline
Their life from birth to death. On the timeline, world events of the time are shown faintly.
- 31 Jul 1800BornBorn in Eschersheim
- 1839AwardHonorary member of the Physics Association (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
- 1853AwardBavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art
- 1854AwardForeign Member of the Royal Society
- 1872AwardCopley Medal
- 1880AwardCothenius Medal
- 23 Sept 1882DiedDied in Göttingen
Loading from Wikipedia and Wikidata…
Meanwhile in the world
Major world events during their lifetime (1800 – 1882).
- 1812 – 1815War of 1812
- 1814 – 1815Congress of Vienna
- 1853 – 1856Crimean War
- 1857 – 1858Indian Rebellion of 1857
- 1870 – 1871Franco-Prussian War
Biography
Friedrich Wöhler FRS(For) HonFRSE (German: [ˈvøːlɐ]; 31 July 1800 – 23 September 1882) was a German chemist known for his work in both organic and inorganic chemistry, being the first to isolate the chemical elements beryllium and yttrium in pure metallic form. He was the first to prepare several inorganic compounds, including silane and silicon nitride.
Wöhler is also known for seminal contributions in organic chemistry, in particular, the Wöhler synthesis of urea. His synthesis of the organic compound urea in the laboratory from inorganic substances contradicted the belief that organic compounds could only be produced by living organisms due to a "life force" known as vitalism. However, the exact extent of Wöhler's role in diminishing the belief in vitalism is considered by some to be questionable.
Text from the Wikipedia article Friedrich Wöhler, CC BY-SA 4.0
About this information
Dates and life events come from this person’s Wikidata entry.
We only show events that the sources give a date for. Anything without a date is left out rather than guessed.