WÖHLER, FRIEDRICH - THE PREPATORY WORK OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY.

Bildung der Cyansäure auf neuem Wege, und fernere Untersuchungen über die Cyansäure und deren Salze.

Leipzig, Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1823. 8vo. Contemp. hcalf. Gilt spine and with gilt lettering. Some scratches to spine. In: "Annalen der Physik und der Physikalischen Chemie. Hrsg. Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert", Bd. 13 (= Bd. 73 der Reihe). (12),444 pp., 1 folded table and 5 engraved plates. Small stamp to verso of titlepages. Internally clean and fine. Wöhler's paper: pp. 157-172.

First printing of Wöhler's importent paper in which he in reality for the first time synthezised an organic substance, leading to his historic preparation of "artificial" urea in 1828 "Ueber künstliche Bildung des Harnstoffs". This broke down the old distinction between organic and inorganic substances. "This was the first synthesis of an organic compound, and this accomplishment is generally regarded as the beginning of organic chemistry."(Sparrow "Milestones of Science", p.37, the 1828 paper).

"In his published paper (the 1828 paper) Wöhler referred to his work of 1823 (the offered paper), in which he had shown that cyanogen and aqueous ammonia yielded oxalic acid and a white crystalline solid that he now realized was urea. This, and his new method, he considered to be remarkable examples of the preparation "by art" of a substance of animal origin from inorganic materials."(DSB).

The volume contains other notable papers BECQUEREL: "Ueber die Electricitäts-Erregung durc Druck, nach versuchen des herrn becquerel; ein bericht abgestatt.... von Biot. Frei übersetzt von Gilbert", pp. 117-129. A pioneer paper on Piezoelectricity. SEEBECK "Notiz von neuen electrisch-magnetischen Versuchen des Herrn Seebeck... mitgeteilt von Hrn Oersted.", pp. 430-32. Also papers by Heinr. Rose, Döbereiner, Lampadius, Sertürner etc. etc.

Order-nr.: 49580