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 graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

and pioneer of

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

who worked in Paris. He extracted and characterized several compounds, including toluene and octene.

Life

At 15 years old, Walter was one of the youngest students of the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, where he studied

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

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

Berlin University The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humboldt ...

, receiving a Ph.D. with his dissertation ''On Combination of Oxalic Acid and Alkali''. Simultaneously he served as assistant to Professor Eilhard Mitscherlich.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, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

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

, but he left to Paris where he worked with

Jean-Baptiste Dumas Jean Baptiste André Dumas (; 14 July 180010 April 1884) was a French chemist, best known for his works on organic analysis and synthesis, as well as the determination of atomic weights (relative atomic masses) and molecular weights by measuri ...

at the

École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures École or Ecole 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 * Éco ...

. Here Walter began to teach analytical chemistry. He examined plant extracts and along with Pierre Joseph Pelletier 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 may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

. 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 with the chemical formula , often abbreviated as , where Ph stands for the phenyl group. It is a colorless, water Water is an inorganic compound with the c ...

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. The two isomer In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formula – that is, the same number of atoms of each element (chemistry), elemen ...

, potassium hydroxide dihydrate,

chromyl chloride Chromyl chloride is an 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 compounds. It is the dichloride of chromic acid. Preparation C ...

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 chloride, or α-chlorotoluene, is an organic compound with the formula . This colorless liquid is a reactive organochlorine compound that is a widely used chemical building block. Preparation Benzyl chloride is prepared industrially ...

benzyl bromide Benzyl bromide is an organic compound with the formula . The molecule consists of a benzene ring substituted with a bromomethyl group. It is a colorless liquid with lachrymatory properties. The compound is a reagent for introducing benzyl group ...

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

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

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-scientist-stub

Life

See also

Notes

Bibliography