Rouelle, Hilaire Marin

P.-J. Macquer has left us, in his Dictionary of Chemistry, a fine first-hand account of the scientific history of this gem (255). On July 26, 1771, Macquer and Godefroy de Villetaneuse, in presence of Jean Darcet (1725-1801), Hilaire-Marin Rouelle (Rouelle the Younger), and others, heated a flawless diamond in a refractory capsule in Macquer s wind furnace. When it reached the temperature of melting copper, a flame could be seen surrounding it, and in less than an hour the gem disappeared without leaving a trace (257, 258, 259). 

Hilaire-Marin Rouelle, a younger brother of Guillaume-Fran ois (Rouelle the Elder), observed in 1773 that the blood of man and animals contains free mineral alkali, common salt, and potassium chloride ( sylvisches Fiebersalz ) (26, 62). Jean-Baptiste-Michel Bicquet made... 

Urea is a colorless, odorless crystalline substance discovered by Hilaire Marin Rouelle (1718—1779) in 1773, who obtained urea by boiling urine. Urea is an important biochemical compound and also has numerous industrial applications. It is the primary nitrogen product of protein (nitrogen) metabolism in humans and other mammals. The breakdown of amino acids results in ammonia, NH3, which is extremely toxic to mammals. To remove ammonia from the body, ammonia is converted to urea in the liver in a process called the urea cycle. The urea in the blood moves to the kidney where it is concentrated and excreted with urine. 

Urea (yoo-REE-uh) is a white crystalline solid or powder with almost no odor and a salty taste. It is a product of the decomposition of proteins in the bodies of terrestrial animals. Urea is produced in the liver and transferred to the kidneys, from which it is excreted in urine. The compound was first identified as a component of urine by French chemist Hilaire Marin Rouelle (1718-1799) in 1773. It was first synthesized accidentally in 1828 by German chemist Friedrich Wohler (1800-1882). The synthesis of urea was one of the most important historical events in the history of chemistry. It was the first time that a scientist had synthesized an organic compound. Prior to Wohler s discovery, scientists believed that organic compounds could be made only by the intervention of some supernatural force. Wohler s discovery showed that organic compounds were subject to the same set of natural laws as were inorganic compounds (compounds for non-living substances). For this reason, Wohler is often called the Father of Organic Chemistry. 

French chemist Hilaire Marin Rouelle identifies urea as a component of urine. 

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