Abstract
In 1858, Couper and Kekulé advanced the theory of the tetravalent carbon atom and the idea that carbon atoms could link to themselves to form chains Gerhardt, the great exponent of the type theory who had died in 1856, had always maintained that the structure of a molecule could never be known. However, in consequence of the work of Couper and Kekulé, this view was now being questioned, and as a result of the growing body of knowledge concerning organic compounds, chemists could now suggest structural formulae for them.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1992 John Hudson
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hudson, J. (1992). Organic Chemistry since 1860. In: The History of Chemistry. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-6441-2_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-6441-2_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-6443-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-6441-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive