"WÖHLER, F. und J. LIEBIG. - THE DISCOVERY OF ""EMULSIN"" A MAIN WORK IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY.
Reference : 43739
(1837)
Leipzig, Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1837. Without wrappers as issued in ""Annalen der Physik und Chemie. Hrsg.von Poggendorff"", Bd. 41, Zweites Stück. (Entire issue No 6 offered). Titlepage to vol. 41. Pp. 225-448 a. 2 folded engraved plates. Wöhler & Liebig's papers: pp. 345-366, pp. 366-374 a. pp. 393-397. Clean and fine.
First appearance of this classic paper in organic chemistry in which Wöhler and Liebig showed how Amygdalin could be decomposed by a vegetable emulsion, the first example of a glycoside.""The conclusions which you have drawn from the investigation of bitter-almond oil,"" wrote Berzelius to Liebig and Wöhler, ""are certainly the most importent which have so far been reached in the domain of vegetable chemistry, and give promise of shedding an unexpected light over this part of the science...The facts which you have set forth inspire such reflections that they may be regarded as the dawn of a new day in vegetable chemistry.""(Berzelius-Wöhler Briefwechsel).""During the years that Liebig was preoccupied with the ether theory and with organic acids, he also carried out two importent investigations with Wöhler. In october 1836 Wöhler wrote that he had discovered a way to transform amygdalin to oil of bitter almonds and hydrocyanid acis, by distilling it with manganese and sulfuric acid, and he invited Liebig to join in pursuing the topic. Two days later he made a more remarkable discovery. It had occurred to him that perhaps thetransformation of amygdalin could be effected by the albumin in the almonds, in a manner similar to the action of yeast in sugar...Wöhler suspected that the decomposition was an example of what Berzelius had recently defined as catalysis. Liebig and Wöhler then divided up the detailed examination of the properties and composition of amygdalin. They precipitated from the emulsion of almonds a substance which when dissolved retain its action. They named the active substance ""emulsion"". Its effectiveness in very small quantities confirmed that it acted like yeast.""(DSB VIII, p. 342).
(Paris, Crochard, 1838). No wrappers. In: ""Annales de Chimie et de Physique, Par MM. Gay-Lussac et Arago."", 2e Series, Tome 68, Cahier 3 entire issue offered. Pp. 225-352. Wöhler & Liebig's paper: pp. 225-336.
First French edition of this importent paper in the development of organic chemistry. It is the last joint paper of importence from ""these two men, ...pioneers in the development of organic chemistry, form a twin constellation in the chemical firmament""(Alexander Findley in ""A Hundred Years of Chemistry"", p. 23). The paper is a translation of ""Untersuchungen über die Natur der Harnsäure"", published at the same time in Justus Liebigs Annalen der Chemie (1838), Wöhler and Liebig collaborated on one more major piece of work, a study of uric acid. (The paper offered). Wöhler suggested the subject, and the idea seems to have come from his medical interests. Uric acid was not easily obtainable–snake excrement was the only substantial source–and relationships with urea and allantoin were suspected by Wöhler. As a student he had won a prize in 1828 for an essay on the conversion in the human body of chemicals taken orally and excreted in urine. The technique adopted by Liebig and Wöhler was to subject uric acid, ad the derivatives they prepared, to oxidation and reduction by reagents of different concentrations and strengths. Wöhler seems to have been the first to heat reagents together in sealed glass tubes, but after an explosion he thought metal ones safer.Their 100-page paper described fourteen new compounds and their preparation and analysis.7 An attempt to establish a new radical called ""uril"" (C8N4O4) was less successful. Perhaps even more significant than the sophisticated, practical and theoretical organic chemistry was the new spirit revealed. Writing to Berzelius in 1828, Wöhler was doubtful whether animal substances could be prepared in the laboratory. In 1832 he began the paper on the benzoyl radical with a description of organic chemistry as ""the dark region of organic nature."" But in 1838 his work with Liebig led him to write (at Liebig’s suggestion): ""The philosophy of chemistry will conclude from this work that it must be held not only as probable but [as] certain that all organic substances, insofar as they no longer belong to the organism, will be prepared in the laboratory. Sugar, salicin, morphine will be produced artificially. It is true that the route to these and products is not yet clear to us, because the intermediaries from which these materials develop are still unknown, but we shall learn to know them.""(DSB).
"WÖHLER, F. und J. LIEBIG. - PIONEER WORK IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY.
Reference : 48918
(1838)
Paris, Crochard, 1838. Contemp. hcalf. Raised bands, spine gilt. In: ""Annales de Chimie et de Physique, Par MM. Gay-Lussac et Arago."", 2e Series, Tome 68. 448 pp. (entire volume offered). Wöhler & Liebig's paper: pp. 225-336. Clean and fine. small stamps to verso of titlepage.
First French edition of this importent paper in the development of organic chemistry. It is the last joint paper of importence from ""these two men, ...pioneers in the development of organic chemistry, form a twin constellation in the chemical firmament""(Alexander Findley in ""A Hundred Years of Chemistry"", p. 23). The paper is a translation of ""Untersuchungen über die Natur der Harnsäure"", published at the same time in Justus Liebigs Annalen der Chemie (1838), Wöhler and Liebig collaborated on one more major piece of work, a study of uric acid. (The paper offered). Wöhler suggested the subject, and the idea seems to have come from his medical interests. Uric acid was not easily obtainable–snake excrement was the only substantial source–and relationships with urea and allantoin were suspected by Wöhler. As a student he had won a prize in 1828 for an essay on the conversion in the human body of chemicals taken orally and excreted in urine. The technique adopted by Liebig and Wöhler was to subject uric acid, ad the derivatives they prepared, to oxidation and reduction by reagents of different concentrations and strengths. Wöhler seems to have been the first to heat reagents together in sealed glass tubes, but after an explosion he thought metal ones safer.Their 100-page paper described fourteen new compounds and their preparation and analysis.7 An attempt to establish a new radical called ""uril"" (C8N4O4) was less successful. Perhaps even more significant than the sophisticated, practical and theoretical organic chemistry was the new spirit revealed. Writing to Berzelius in 1828, Wöhler was doubtful whether animal substances could be prepared in the laboratory. In 1832 he began the paper on the benzoyl radical with a description of organic chemistry as ""the dark region of organic nature."" But in 1838 his work with Liebig led him to write (at Liebig’s suggestion): ""The philosophy of chemistry will conclude from this work that it must be held not only as probable but [as] certain that all organic substances, insofar as they no longer belong to the organism, will be prepared in the laboratory. Sugar, salicin, morphine will be produced artificially. It is true that the route to these and products is not yet clear to us, because the intermediaries from which these materials develop are still unknown, but we shall learn to know them.""(DSB).