Vis vitalis theory

The term organic chemistry was first used by the Swedish chemist Berzelius in 1807 (Larsson, 1981). He coined the name to describe the chemistry of substances derived from living matter. Berzelius was a staunch believer in the vis vitalis theory, which held that such substances were endowed with a mystical vital force that precluded their synthesis in the laboratory from materials of mineral origin. Ironically, it was a student of Berzelius, Wohler, who heralded the demise of vitalism with his synthesis of urea from ammonium cyanate (Wohler, 1928). In a letter to Berzelius in 1828, Wohler wrote I must tell you that I can make urea without requiring kidneys, or even an animal, whether a human being or a dog . 

Nevertheless, the vitalists were not easily convinced, and it took a few decades before the vis vitalis theory was finally laid to rest. The final nail in its coffin may have been provided by Kolbe s synthesis of acetic acid from its constituent elements in 1845 (Kolbe, 1845). 

The sharp public distinction between natural (produced by evolution or created by God—which for the purposes of this story, does not matter— and human made substances is only a delusion. This assumption was once a scientific theory, it was called the vis vitalis theory and was thoroughly discredited almost two centuries ago. The modern-day variation of this theory posits that hving things add some sort of extra good nutrients to materials, which cannot be produced in any artificial way. Table 1.3 presents a set of toxicity data (given as values) on natural and artificial substances. Even a cursory look on these data will reveal that natural toxins have the distinction of being among the most poisonous substances known. 

Wohler s synthesis of urea (1828) and Kolbe s synthesis of acetic acid (1845) moved from the scientific scene s vis vitalis theory. Kolbe synthesis is presented here because of its historical importance and also as an extraordinary introduction to the ecological issues of industrial organic synthesis (Scheme 1.16). 

The history of organic synthesis is generally traced back to Wohler s synthesis of the natural product urea from ammonium isocyanate in 1828. This laid to rest the vis vitalis (vital force) theory, which maintained that a substance produced by a living organism could not be produced synthetically. The discovery had monumental significance, because it showed that, in principle, aU organic compounds are amenable to synthesis in the laboratory. 

Early scientists claimed that organic compounds, based on carbon, can only be produced with the help of the so-called vis vitalis. With his successfiil experiment to make urea from ammonium cyanate, Wbhler (1834) made this theory obsolete. From then on, organic chemistry in vitro was investigated intensively and developed rapidly. 

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