Chemical Pathways: 150 Years of Evolution of Chemistry

Abstract

In 1857, a small group of chemists began to meet for informal discussions in Paris, founding the Societe Chimique. Taking note of its national stature, the society was transformed into the “Societe Chimique de France” in 1906. Then, after having merged with the “Societe de Chimie Physique”, it became the “Societe Francaise de Chimie” in 1984. It celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. The “Societe” witnessed the evolution of chemistry and chemists, of their knowledge, and of their goals, as did the other chemical societies created in this era, for example, the Chemical Society of London in 1841, the German Chemical Society in 1867, the Russian Chemical Society in 1868, the American Chemical Society in 1876 or the Chemical Society of Japan in 1878. Can one in a few words seize the impact of these changes? In 1857, organic synthesis was still in its infancy. Berthelot achieved the formation of fats by the combination of glycerol with acids in 1854. In addition his syntheses of organic compounds by means of simple chemical methods, Marcellin Berthelot such as those used at that time for inorganic derivatives in the famous “electric egg” apparatus, led to the final fall of the theory of a “vital force” inherent in organic compounds. His book “Chimie Organique Fondee sur la Synthese” (1860) had considerable success and presents Berthelot as the founder of this discipline. At the same time, Perkin deposited his patent “Dyeing fabrics” (1856) in England, describing how to obtain dyes starting from residues of the distillation of coal, and this opened the way for the dye industry. After having deposited 152 patents to cover the development of the industrial process, BASF began the production of indigo Charles Friedel