Karlsruhe Congress

The Karlsruhe Congress was the first international symposium of modern chemistry. He was held from 3rd to September 5th 1860 on the initiative of Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz, Charles Adolphe Wurtz and Karl Weltzien in the House of the Estates in Karlsruhe. Topics were the nomenclature of chemical compounds and their formulaic representation and the question of the atomic and molecular weights of chemical compounds. It was the first international conference of chemistry worldwide.

Occasion

The chemistry was middle of the 19th century formed as a scientific discipline only fresh and still suffered from a significant deficit in theory. Especially in matters of atomic and molecular structure, representing different " schools " different views. Although they were generally accepted by John Dalton as the smallest building blocks of chemical compounds on their structure but was virtually unknown. They expressed different views with other fundamental theoretical issues such as the basic size of the atomic weights. The nomenclature and formula writing was highly uneven. However, there still existed no forum within which one could discuss the current problems. Therefore, taken three young professors of chemistry, the initiative to organize a conference to clarify the discourse with colleagues the issues in dispute, and invited the most important representatives of the discipline for the 3 to 5 September in 1860, Karlsruhe. The geographical location of Karlsruhe had expected the participation of a larger number of French chemist and also the Karlsruhe Technical University had already at that time a good reputation.

The " organic chemistry" in front of Karlsruhe Congress

Formulaic representation of the molecules

After the first syntheses of organic substances by Wöhler ( oxalic acid by hydrolysis of cyanogen in 1824 and urea from ammonium 1828) established a storm -like investigation of organic molecules. A nice overview are 1854 published textbook by H. Kolbe, which already included more than a thousand pages.

However, over the formulaic representation of this was no agreement. An example is reproduced in Kekule 's textbook of organic chemistry formulas of acetic acid. Nineteen different representations of this acid were common.

Atomic and molecular weights

Also on atomic and molecular weights was no agreement. Based on the findings of

Though, and ultimately the atomic hypothesis of Dalton (1803 ), the participants agreed that atoms are discrete particles and molecules to build from them, but they used several systems of atomic weights next to each other. Based at a hydrogen, the base unit is assigned as a value of 1, the carbon and the oxygen are arranged 6 8. As long as there were uncertainties about the atomic weights, the elemental composition of the compounds tested was doubtful. An example of ruling with the atomic weights of chaos before 1850 shows the adjoining graphic.

Course

127 chemists came from Europe and overseas, including famous names like Robert Bunsen, Adolf von Baeyer, Emil Erlenmeyer, Hermann von Fehling, Carl Remigius Fresenius, Hermann Kopp, Friedrich Konrad Beilstein, Jean -Baptiste Boussingault, Jean -Baptiste Dumas, Stanislao Cannizzaro Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev and Lothar Meyer. The Congress was officially opened on Monday, September 3 at 9 clock. The meeting was held in the large meeting room of the Karlsruhe stands the house, which was the first parliament building on German soil, the gathering place of the Baden representatives of the people.

The meeting turned out to consequently as follows: Weltzien led the first session on September 3, when Kekulé, Lev Nikolayevich Shishkov, Henry Enfield Roscoe, Adolf Strecker and William Odling were named as secretary for the meeting. Then met by 11 clock to the exclusion of the public meeting a nine -member commission chaired by Kopp, in order to specify the congress topics to be discussed. The committee presented to the distinction to be made between " atom", " molecule" and " equivalent" fixed. In the evening a dinner was held Congress. The next day, the Assembly discussed by the Committee formulated questions, but did not reach a tangible result. One reason the contentious issues were back to the Commission, which still twice about advising on that day and then decided to submit to the Assembly three concrete questions of nomenclature for decision. On Wednesday, September 5, Congress then advised chaired by Dumas on measures adopted by the Commission on the day before questions concerning the nomenclature and use of chemical symbols. Here, the hitherto little- known Genoese chemistry professor Cannizzaro warned against trying to return the state of knowledge at the time before Berzelius, because the chemistry was since then continuously expanded. After a heated discussion, finally decided the Congress that future introduced by Berzelius crossed symbols should be used. Then Dumas ended the meeting as chairman of the meeting.

Results

The Karlsruhe Congress was the first congress of a scientific discipline. Although drastic results forthcoming, the Karlsruhe Chemists Congress can be considered the most important event in the history of chemistry in the 19th century. The coincidence of so many chemists from home and abroad had a catalytic effect on the further development of theoretical chemistry. In particular, in the wake generally passes through acceptance of Avogadro Ampère theory and the subsequent development of the periodic table have been promoted by Congress.

Hermann Kolbe Atomic theory Joseph Proust Law of definite proportions Hermann Franz Moritz Kopp Jean-Baptiste Dumas Azobenzene
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