Filip Neriusz Walter or Philippe Walter (31 May 1810 – 9 April 1847) was a Polish

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

and pioneer of

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, ...

who worked in Paris. A pioneer of organic chemistry, he was extracted and characterized several compounds including toluene and octene.

Life

Walter was one of the youngest students of the Jagiellonian University in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, where he studied

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

and chemistry in 1825–28. Subsequently, he studied at

Berlin University Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

, receiving a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

with his dissertation ''On Combination of Oxalic Acid and Alkali''. Simultaneously he served as assistant to Professor

Eilhard Mitscherlich Eilhard Mitscherlich (; 7 January 179428 August 1863) was a German chemist, who is perhaps best remembered today for his discovery of the phenomenon of crystallographic isomorphism in 1819. Early life and work Mitscherlich was born at Neuende ...

.Stefan Sękowski, Stefan Szostkiewicz, ''Serce i retorta'' (The Heart and the Retort), Warsaw, Wiedza Powszechna, 1957. On the outbreak of the November 1830 Uprising, he went to

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

and joined the Polish Army. He served as adjutant to Colonel Samuel Różycki, commander of the 7th infantry regiment. In 1831, aged 21, he was named professor of chemistry at the Jagiellonian University, but he left to Paris where he worked with Jean-Baptiste Dumas at the

École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

. Here Walter began to teach analytical chemistry. He examined plant extracts and along with

Pierre Joseph Pelletier Pierre-Joseph Pelletier (, , ; 22 March 1788 – 19 July 1842) was a French chemist and pharmacist who did notable research on vegetable alkaloids, and was the co-discoverer with Joseph Bienaimé Caventou of quinine, caffeine, and strychnine ...

he extracted toluene by distillation of pine resin in 1838. In 1840 they extracted octene (C₈H₁₆) from naphtha. Walter was able to demonstrate the substitution of carbon by sulphur in camphor in 1842. His achievements won him recognition from the

French Academy French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

. In sum, he isolated and studied 24 new

chemical compounds A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

, including

toluene Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) a ...

biphenyl Biphenyl (also known as diphenyl, phenylbenzene, 1,1′-biphenyl, lemonene or BP) is an organic compound that forms colorless crystals. Particularly in older literature, compounds containing the functional group consisting of biphenyl less one ...

, nitrotoluene,

cedrene Cedrene is a sesquiterpene found in the essential oil of cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees a ...

, potassium hydroxide dihydrate,

chromyl chloride Chromyl chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula CrO2Cl2. It is a reddish brown compound that is a volatile liquid at room temperature, which is unusual for transition metal complexes. Preparation Chromyl chloride can be prepared by th ...

cumene Cumene (isopropylbenzene) is an organic compound that contains a benzene ring with an isopropyl substituent. It is a constituent of crude oil and refined fuels. It is a flammable colorless liquid that has a boiling point of 152 °C. Near ...

, benzyl chloride, benzyl bromide, and menthene. In 1847 he was decorated with the cross of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

Notes

Bibliography

#"Walter, Filip Neriusz", in Stanley S. Sokol, '' The Polish Biographical Dictionary'', Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 1992. #Stefan Sękowski, Stefan Szostkiewicz, ''Serce i retorta'' (The Heart and the Retort), Warsaw, Wiedza Powszechna, 1957. # Aleksander Jełowicki, ''Wspomnienia'' (Memoirs), Paris, 1839. #Stanisław Wodzicki, ''Wspomnienia z przeszłości'' (Memoirs of the Past). Kraków, 1873. #Adolphe Wurz, ''Historia poglądów chemicznych'' (A History of Chemical Views), Warsaw, 1886. 1810 births 1847 deaths Organic chemists Polish chemists Polish inventors Founders of the petroleum industry Polish Army officers November Uprising participants {{Poland-bio-stub

Life

See also

Notes

Bibliography