Eilhard Mitscherlich

Eilhard Mitscherlich (1794-1863) holds an important position among the chemists who created the basis of postLavoisier chemistry. His discoveries of iso- and polymorphism; his pioneering work on catalysis; and his research on benzene and benzene derivatives, the formation of ethers, and alcoholic fermentation belong to the truly fundamental achievements of classical chemistry.

In 1822, at the instigation of his mentor Berzelius, Mitscherlich became the successor of Klaproth both as member of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences and as full professor at the Friedrich-Wilhelm University. Despite his long quarrels with Liebig, the most influential chemist in Germany, Mitscherlich remained the most eminent representative of chemistry in Prussia. When he died, an epoch of chemistry in Berlin drew to an end.