Ca. 1848–1914: Analytical, Industrial, and Biochemistry—Creations of Coal

Abstract

By the turn of the century chemists were industriously employing the new theories and techniques of organic and inorganic chemistry to create new products and new medicines. And they had an ideal laboratory in which to work: Peace, progress, and prosperity were the hallmarks of Europe at this time. France was in a comfortable Third Republic, German was unified under the progressive Kaiser Wilhelm, and the strength of the British navy kept English waters calm. Europe was very much the center for science, but science was steadily being transmitted to the other center of stability—North America—and notably the United States. Ties between the two centers strengthened with improved transportation and communication: The telephone appeared in the 1870s, and trans-Atlantic radio signals were transmitted in 1901. Secure behind two ocean borders, with its government affirmed by having survived a civil war, the United States was ripe to receive. Electricity was coming on line, and internal combustion engines soon powered automobiles, airplanes, and submarines. But in the mid-1800s to early 1900s, the steam engine was still the primary source of power, and steam was powered by coal. Consequently chemists concentrated their new tools on the chemistry of coal.