The contributions of Henri Victor Regnault in the context of organic chemistry of the first half of the nineteenth century

Abstract

Recebido em 13/2/11; aceito em 1/8/11; publicado na web em 20/9/11 A very little known aspect of the scientific career of Regnault is his contribution to the emerging organic chemistry in the first half of the nineteenth century. The purpose of this article is not only to describe two of his most important researches in this field, as were the discovery of two series of halogenated derivates of certain organic compounds and the precise identification of some of the then recently discovered alkaloids, but also the main features that identified his research method. With the involvement in these subjects, Regnault unintentionally positioned himself in the midst of some of the polemics about the classification of organic compounds that characterized this age of science.

Before Radicals Were Free – the Radical Particulier of de Morveau

“…Unfortunately, this was not the case in the 19 th Century CE. In 1835, Henri Victor Regnault (1810-1878) [71,72] reported a new radical C 2 H 3 (formulated C 4 H 6 at the time) which he termed aldehydène [73]. This radical was present in the compounds H 2 C=CHCl, H 2 C=CHBr, BrCH 2 CH 2 Br and many others that he isolated.…”

The Academic Tree of Howard V. Malmstadt: From Early Scientific Exploration to Modern Analytical Chemistry

“…Regnault was formally educated at École des Mines in Paris and completed research under Pierre Berthier, who selected his best students to be his laboratory assistants. 111,112 Regnault avoided some of the engineering jobs in Berthier's laboratory, which resulted in a clash with Berthier over Regnault's pursuit of organic chemistry, both in the laboratory and at home. 113 Under Berthier, Regnault completed a thesis on the topic of oxidation and sulphonization of metals under steam.…”

“…Though Regnault did spend some time in the laboratory of Justus von Liebig, which aligned with Regnault's interest in organic chemistry, that period was not a part of his formal education. 111 Liebig and Regnault were associated for some years to come as they worked on similar problems and were known to write one another often. 113 From the letters, a historical divide also becomes rather apparent with respect to what comprises different fields of chemistry, in the days of Regnault and more modern times.…”

“…Regnault was also the father of the noted French painter of the same name. 111 In addition to the mentorship of Regnault, Pierre Berthier was a noted geologist and mining engineer, best known for his discovery of bauxite in southern France. Berthier entered the École Polytechnique in 1797 for undergraduate studies and École des Mines in 1801.…”

Augustus Matthiessen and His Contributions to Chemistry

“…Although narcotine had been extracted by the French chemist and pharmacist Charles Louis Derosne (1774–1855) in 1803 and its isolation and classification as a vegetable alkaloid had been confirmed by Pierre Jean Robiquet (1780–1840) 14 years later, its constitution and the products derived from it had not been fully elucidated by the middle of the 19th century. Agreement on the relative proportions of its constituents existed; however, independent analyses of narcotine performed by Liebig, Dumas and Pelletier, , and Regnault resulted in different molecular formulas, primarily because of the group of atomic weights accepted by each scientist. The first adopted formula for narcotine was C 46 H 25 NO 14 , proposed in 1844 by the physician J. Blyth, which agreed with the most trustworthy results of previous investigators, such as those of the German chemist Friedrich Wohler (1800–1882) .…”