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How Did Friedrich Wöhler Synthesis Urea?

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Friedrich Wöhler accidentally synthesized urea in 1828. He was attempting to synthesize ammonium cyanate by treating silver cyanate with aqueous ammonium chloride. After analyzing the white powder that was created, he realized that it was urea, a component of urine. Prior to this discovery, it was commonly believed that you could not create an organic compound from inorganic elements. Wöhler’s accidental discovery proved you could. And therefore the theory of vitalism was disproved. This was very significant because vitalism also said that inorganic chemicals could not be used to treat disease. Wöhler was upset by this discovery. He wrote in a letter to Jöns Jakob Berzelius, his friend and mentor, "The great tragedy of science, the
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