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Friedrich Wohler

VUR-lur (English approx.); German approx. FUR-luh
Also Known As Woehler
Chemical Engineering

German chemist. In 1827 he modified Hans Christian Orsted's aluminum chloride reduction method, substituting potassium metal for potassium amalgam, and isolated aluminum powder in a purer metallic form than Orsted had two years earlier; he is often credited with the first true isolation of the element. He is also known for the 1828 synthesis of urea from inorganic starting materials, a landmark result for organic chemistry. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Birth Year
1800 1
Birth Date
1800-07-31 1
Death Year
1882 1
Death Date
1882-09-23 1
Nationality
German 1
Connections

Held Differently

Aluminum, Materials

Wohler improved on Hans Christian Orsted's 1825 method, substituting potassium metal for potassium amalgam, and isolated aluminum powder in a purer metallic form in 1827; often credited as the first true isolation of the element (see the Aluminum entity origin-year dissent).

Source Friedrich Wohler (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors

Associated With

First isolated aluminum metal and pioneered organic synthesis, foundational to industrial chemistry.

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Friedrich Wohler (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationAluminium isolation section
Quote, Aluminium isolation section
Using this improved method, Wohler isolated aluminium powder in pure form on 22 October 1827; he showed the powder could be converted to solid balls of pure metallic aluminium in 1845.
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Friedrich Wohler best known for?

Isolating aluminum in 1827 and synthesizing urea from inorganic materials in 1828.

Wohler was a German chemist who in 1827 modified Hans Christian Orsted's aluminum chloride reduction method by substituting potassium metal for potassium amalgam. This gave aluminum powder in a purer metallic form than Orsted had produced two years earlier, and he is often credited with the first true isolation of the element. He is also known for the 1828 synthesis of urea from inorganic starting materials, a landmark result for organic chemistry.
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