CHEMIST

Friedrich Wöhler

1800 - 1882

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Friedrich Wöhler FRS(For) HonFRSE (German: [ˈvøːlɐ]; 31 July 1800 – 23 September 1882) was a German chemist known for his work in both organic and inorganic chemistry, being the first to isolate the chemical elements beryllium and yttrium in pure metallic form. He was the first to prepare several inorganic compounds, including silane and silicon nitride. Wöhler is also known for seminal contributions in organic chemistry, in particular, the Wöhler synthesis of urea. His synthesis of the organic compound urea in the laboratory from inorganic substances contradicted the belief that organic compounds could only be produced by living organisms due to a "life force". Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Friedrich Wöhler is the 27th most popular chemist (down from 20th in 2019), the 153rd most popular biography from Germany (up from 168th in 2019) and the 6th most popular German Chemist.

Friedrich Wöhler is most famous for his synthesis of urea, which disproved the idea that organic compounds could only be created by living organisms.

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Among CHEMISTS

Among chemists, Friedrich Wöhler ranks 27 out of 602. Before him are Ernst Chain, Eduard Buchner, John Macleod, George Washington Carver, Fritz Haber, and John Fenn. After him are Wilhelm Ostwald, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Hans Adolf Krebs, Otto Wallach, Alexander R. Todd, and Otto Hahn.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1800, Friedrich Wöhler ranks 1. After him are Thomas Babington Macaulay, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, John Edward Gray, Millard Fillmore, Emperor Ninkō, France Prešeren, Charles Goodyear, Henry Fox Talbot, Jean-Baptiste Dumas, John Brown, and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Among people deceased in 1882, Friedrich Wöhler ranks 3. Before him are Charles Darwin, and Giuseppe Garibaldi. After him are Ralph Waldo Emerson, Arthur de Gobineau, Jesse James, Theodor Schwann, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Francesco Hayez, Bruno Bauer, Léon Gambetta, and Louis Blanc.

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In Germany

Among people born in Germany, Friedrich Wöhler ranks 153 out of 7,253. Before him are Eduard Buchner (1860), Leni Riefenstahl (1902), Frederick William IV of Prussia (1795), Friedrich Fröbel (1782), Alfred Wegener (1880), and Friedrich Merz (1955). After him are Theodor W. Adorno (1903), Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742), Hans Adolf Krebs (1900), Friedrich Hölderlin (1770), Lothair I (795), and Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767).

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Among CHEMISTS In Germany

Among chemists born in Germany, Friedrich Wöhler ranks 6. Before him are Emil Fischer (1852), August Kekulé (1829), Adolf Windaus (1876), Ernst Chain (1906), and Eduard Buchner (1860). After him are Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742), Hans Adolf Krebs (1900), Otto Hahn (1879), Richard Willstätter (1872), Adolf von Baeyer (1835), and Adolf Butenandt (1903).

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