Hello. I
am Jean Baptiste André Dumas.
Because the Dualistic
Theory was not successful for organic
compounds, other theories arose.
In 1828, I advanced a theory of radicals.
This theory incorporates elements of dualism, but doesn't rely
on the presence
of oxygen or charges. I still assume that compounds are made of two parts --
they don't have to be oxides, however. There seem to be certain organic groups,
such as C2H4, which are especially stable. I call these groups "radicals." An
organic compound is a combination of a stable radical with an element or common
molecule.
I would like to introduce Justus von Liebig.
In 1832, he and Wöhler published
a paper on the oil of bitter almonds. Their work supported the existence
of radical theory.
Organic compounds contain carbon along with hydrogen and other elements.
Examples of organic compounds are:
C6H6
C2H5OH
EBT Question 1
The dualistic theory formulated by Berzelius was rather successful
in describing inorganic compounds such as MgSO4 and Na2CO3, but not
organic comounds such as C6H6 and C2H5OH. Today we distinguish two
kinds of bounding--ionic and covalent. What type is more imortant for
minerals? What about orgainic compounds? Why did Berzelius's electrochemical
theory work so much better for minerals than for organic compounds?
