A History of Chemistry – Part 3

Chemistry and society: An explosive pair

It is the early 19th century, and industrialization in Europe is in full swing. Close collaboration between the chemical industry and research – largely in France to start with, then followed by other European countries – is resulting in rapid advances in both sectors. As the chemical industry grows, chemistry is gaining a higher profile in society. The third and fourth parts of our series on the history of chemistry consider the relationship between chemistry, industry, and society from the 19th century onward.

As well as this, he dealt extensively with the chemistry of organisms, something which he dubbed «organic chemistry». Being a proponent of vitalism, Berzelius was convinced that only living organisms were capable of producing organic substances, claiming that «vital force» was necessary for this process. The findings of one of his apprentices, Friedrich Wöhler, would later put a question mark on this hypothesis.

Wöhler and Liebig: A fruitful friendship

Superphosphate revolutionizes agriculture

Around 1840, Liebig, who had studied at the Sorbonne in Paris under such great names as Gay-Lussac and experienced France’s symbiotic relationship between science and industry, turned his back on fundamental research. Instead, he began studying organic chemistry in physiology and agriculture. He realized that plants extract nutrients needed for growth from the ground – with the exception of carbon dioxide, sourced from the air. From his findings, he deduced practical implications which revolutionized agriculture. Through his work, Liebig was the first to establish the need for fertilizer from a scientific point of view. His research also allowed him to determine which nutrients need to be present in fertilizer. This included simple organic compounds, but also inorganic substances such as salts. Based on this knowledge, Liebig developed the first artificial fertilizer, superphosphate, which led to an enormous increase in agricultural yields.

Liebig’s superphosphate fertilizer is still used today. Thanks to new findings, however, there are now a multitude of fertilizers which can provide the necessary nutrients based on the plants and soil conditions.

Artificial colors: All thanks to benzene

Regardless of whether Kekulé’s anecdote was based on true events or not, his discovery of the benzene structure and its importance to chemistry cannot be denied. Knowledge of organic and aromatic structures enabled systematic synthesis of the same molecules. The work of chemists was increasingly shifting from the isolation of substances from nature to the synthesis of artificial substances. The colorant industry experienced a boom after the discovery of the benzene structure, as this meant that a multitude of artificial colors could now be produced. Indigo production, for example, became an economically significant industrial process.

Colorant syntheses have not lost relevance since their invention in around 1900 – in fact, quite the opposite case. Colorants have been continuously developed for numerous properties and functions. This makes them inherently more complex than their primitive predecessors.

Check out our final article in this series to learn about the advancements of chemistry around World War II. Click the link below for Part 4.

A History of Chemistry – Part 4

Reference

[1] Sponsel, R. and Rathsmann-Sponsel, I. Kekulés Traum. Über eine typisch-psychoanalytische Entgleisung Alexander Mitscherlichs über den bedeutenden Naturwissenschaftler und Chemiker August Kekulé (1829-1896), Mitschöpfer der Valenz-, Vollender der Strukturtheorie und Entdecker der Bedeutung des Benzolrings. Alternative Analyse und Deutung aus allgemeiner und integrativer psychologisch-psychotherapeutischer Sicht. http://www.sgipt.org/th_schul/pa/kek/pak_kek0.htm (accessed Aug 15, 2016).

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