CHEM 125A - Freshman Organic Chemistry I
Lecture 21 - Berzelius to Liebig and Wohler (1805-1832). The most prominent chemist in the generation following Lavoisier was Berzelius in Sweden. Together with Gay-Lussac in Paris and Davy in London, he discovered new elements, and improved atomic weights and combustion analysis for organic compounds. Invention of electrolysis led not only to new elements but also to the theory of dualism, with elements being held together by electrostatic attraction. Wohler's report on the synthesis of urea revealed isomerism but also persistent naivete about treating quantitative data. In their collaborative investigation of oil of bitter almonds Wohler and Liebig extended dualism to organic chemistry via the radical theory. (from oyc.yale.edu)
| Lecture 21 - Berzelius to Liebig and Wohler (1805-1832) |
| Time | Lecture Chapters |
| [00:00:00] | 1. Confusion over Silicon Chloride: Discussion on Atomic Weights and Equivalents |
| [00:06:06] | 2. Combustion Analysis and the Beginnings of Electrolysis |
| [00:15:56] | 3. Dualism: An Organizing Principle |
| [00:23:07] | 4. The Honest Experimenter and the Persistent Naivety on Quantitative Data |
| [00:29:18] | 5. Ammonium Cyanate, Urea, and the Idea of Isomerism |
| [00:38:32] | 6. Wohler, Liebig, and Transmission of Dualism via the Radical Theory |
| References |
| Lecture 21 - Berzelius to Liebig and Wohler (1805-1832) Instructor: Professor J. Michael McBride. Resources: Professor McBride's website resource for CHEM 125 (Fall 2008). Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov]. |
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