The common thesis for life in the early 19th century was vitalism, the notion that the origin of life depends on a force or principle distinct from purely chemical or physical forces. This thesis was about to start to crack, thanks to the experiment of a German chemist.
In 1828, German chemist Friedrich Wöhler was working with ammonium cyanate as part of his broader research into inorganic compounds. In one of his experiments, he was shocked to discover that he could synthesize urea, an organic compound typically produced in the body and found in urine. This result directly challenged the concept of vitalism.
This breakthrough is often referred to as the birth of modern organic chemistry. By demonstrating that life’s molecules weren’t fundamentally different from other chemicals, Wöhler opened the door to the synthesis of countless compounds, from medicines to plastics. His discovery paved the way for industries that rely on creating complex organic molecules, such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and materials science.Despite this experiment, it took almost a century for the idea of vitalism to be completely abandoned by the scientific community. It serves as a reminder that powerful ideas, even when scientifically disproven, can persist due to their cultural and philosophical significance.
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