I chose for my enrich topic for this week the subject of the "Synthesis of Urea". I chose this because I like the historical aspect of scientific discoveries. I immediately learned that when you do a Google scholar search for "synthesis of urea" that you get a number of results about modern patents on synthesizing urea. It was sort of difficult to find a historical article on the synthesis or urea in the scientific journal databases. I found a couple of articles from the 1920s that talked about Friedrich Wöhler, the man credited with the first synthesis of urea, "a naturally occurring organic compound from inorganic materials." ("urea". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 26 Oct. …show more content…
In these experiments the synthesis of an organic compound from two inorganic molecules was achieved for the first time. These results weakened significantly the vitalistic hypothesis on the functioning of living cells, although Wöhler, at that time, was more interested in the chemical consequences of isomerism than in the philosophical implications of his finding. However, the chemical synthesis observed by Wöhler does not represent the reaction which is employed in the mammalian liver for urea synthesis. The mechanism of this process was elucidated by the German physician Hans A. Krebs and his medical student Kurt Henseleit in 1932 and was shown to include the ornithine cycle. This 'urea cycle' is only observed in living cells; this apparently vitalistic phenomenon is caused by the compartmentalization of the various enzymatic reactions in mitochondria and cytosol, respectively." (Vitalism and Synthesis of Urea. Kinne-Saffran E, Kinne R, K, H, Am J Nephrol …show more content…
During an attempt to synthesize ammo-nium cyanate, Wöhler (1800–1882) heated a solution of silver cyanate and ammonium chloride. Separately, he also heated lead cya-nate and aqueous ammonia. In both cases, he obtained not the expected product, but urea (Scheme 1). Wöhler’s synthesis showed that inorganic starting materials could be used to synthesize substances previously associated only with living organisms. In other words, chemical synthesis requires no ‘living’ or ‘vital force’ to make biologically active compounds." (The origins of chemical biology, Kim L Morrison & Gregory A Weiss, NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY VOLUME 2 NUMBER 1 JANUARY 2006, p3
In the early days of alchemy, many scholars doubted the authenticity and credibility of alchemy as a scholarly field of study. They labeled it as “mystical” and challenged greatly the possibilities of alchemical transmutations and any practitioner’s credibility. However, alchemy was still practiced and discussed in all levels of society. Alchemy has been discovered in recent times to have been central to the development of early modern science and medicine. The practice of alchemy has made many contributions to the development of modern chemical medicines.
The “discovery” and use of distillation was important to the rebirth of science in Europe by creating new principles of chemistry.
The two essays that I choose for the synthesis essay are Parkinson’s Alley by Joy Horowitz and The Environmental Issue from Hell: Global Warming Is the Great Moral Crisis of Our Time by Bill Mckibben. Parkinson’s Alley is about residents in California’s Central Valley town of Visalia who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. This part of California has the highest number of people diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease. The pesticides that are used in the surrounding farms seeps into the water that the residents use every day, causing them to get the disease. The Environmental Issue from Hell: Global Warming Is the Great Moral Crisis of Our Time is about how global warming is a moral crisis that, if not combated
in 1973, Julian was the first black chemist chosen to the National Academy of the Sciences. In 1990 he was chosen to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and in 1999 his making of physostigmine was notice by the American Chemical Society as “one of the top 25 achievements in the history of American chemistry.”
Essay twelve discusses a dark time for chemists. Suddenly, in the mid 1500’s chemists went from being priests and healers to witches and devils. Chemistry during this period is limited and men known as alchemists ran the show. These men used herbs metals and spices to create useful substances and herbal remedies. Helpful as they
One most famous paper was entitled “Studies in the Indole Series V. The Complete Synthesis of Physostigmine”. In the paper, Julian and Josef explained how physostigmine is synthesized in the laboratory (Cobb, 1971). This article is what I think was the most influential publication, Julian ever wrote.
After putting the CH2Cl2 to a beaker containing the drying agent anhydrous sodium sulfate, a sticky white solid was recovered.
The purpose of the experiment was to see if you can use your senses while not being able to see and also to be able to trust someone to help you. An hypothesis is can you use your other senses to help you while being blinded?
After the completion of the series of labs we were tasked with, we have discovered numerous things about what substance would be the best biofuels and biofuel alternatives. In lab 1, we germinated 150 radish seeds on filter paper within different Petri dishes. For my group, we were asked to use the substance of Ethanol in concentrations, 10%, 5%, 2.5%, 1.25%, 625% and the last dish being filled with deionized water. Out of these concentrations, we can tell that ethanol doesn’t cause much germination and doesn’t greatly affect the environment. However, when compared to the N- Butanol Ethanol isn’t the healthiest alternative out of the three we tested for these labs, it was a close measurement but the N-Butanol is a healthier alternative for
Timberlake, K. C. (01/2014). Chemistry: An Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry, 12th Edition.
With the cooperation of Berthold’s discovery, a German chemist Adolf Butenandt was able to purify and extract testosterone from urine. With the collaboration of a fellow German chemist Leopold Ruziicka, they were able to create a synthetic form of testosterone safe for human use in 1935. Their discovery received international acclaim and they were rewarded the 1939 Nobel Prize for their work in chemistry.
Alchemy was a scientific but it was also a spiritual tradition. Many of alchemists’ works helped lay the groundwork for modern chemistry and medicine.
Alchemists were the first people to extract metals from ores and create different acids and bases. Chinese alchemists invented gunpowder in the ninth century. High carbon steel was being manufactured in India between 300-200 BC. Albertus Magnus is frequently credited for the discovery of arsenic. Andreas Libavius was the first to describe the construction of free hydrochloric acid, of tin tetrachloride, and of ammonium.
A synthesis essay is one of the most writer engaging pieces. It involved picking ideas from a variety of sources, summarizing them and creating a cohesive essay that focuses on a thesis statement. It interweaves information based on topic and relevance to assert a certain opinion or point of view. The author examines various sources and identifies suitable relationships with the thesis. The most important aspect of a synthesis is to demonstrate to the reader an extensive understanding of the information within a topic. Therefore, extensive research is a prerequisite for a well-written essay. Synthesis also involves a great deal of reflection. The author not only needs to rephrase and summarize the sources of information, but put down what he
Although organic reactions have been conducted by man since the discovery of fire, the science of Organic chemistry did not develop until the turn of the eighteenth century, mainly in France at first, then in Germany, later on in England. By far the largest variety of materials that bombard us are made up of organic elements. The beginning of the Ninetieth century was also the dawn of chemistry, all organic substances were understood