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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2008  > September  >
Chemistry for Everyone
Liebig–Wöhler Controversy and the Concept of Isomerism
Soledad Esteban
Departamento de Química Orgánica y Bio-Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias, UNED, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Cover
September 2008
Vol. 85 No. 9
p. 1201
Abstract
Very often controversies contribute to the development of science. An example is the conflict between Liebig and Wöhler on the occasion of their analyses of fulminates and cyanates, which showed that compounds with different properties could have the same composition. Their results, together with other similar evidences, led Berzelius to recognize the phenomenon of isomerism, one of the fundamental concepts in organic chemistry, and the foundation of the study of structural chemistry. This little controversy was also the starting point for a long friendship between Liebig and Whöler, often partners in work that gave rise to other important advances in chemistry. The story of the Liebig–Wöhler controversy and the historical development of isomerism make interesting anecdotal material for lectures and can help increase interest in science at the high school level.
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Citation
Esteban, Soledad. J. Chem. Educ. 2008, 85, 1201.
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Keywords
Constitutional Isomers; Enrichment / Review Materials; First-Year Undergraduate / General; High School / Introductory Chemistry; History / Philosophy; Organic Chemistry; Textbooks / Reference Books
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History
Created:
Last Updated:
8/4/2008
8/4/2008
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