Berthelot, Marcellin

Berthelot, (Pierre-Eugène-) Marcellin

(born Oct. 27, 1827, Paris, France—died March 18, 1907, Paris) French chemist. The first professor of organic chemistry at the Collège de France (from 1865), he later also held high government offices, including that of foreign minister (1895–96). He did research in alcohols and carboxylic acids, the synthesis of hydrocarbons, and reaction rates, studied the mechanism of explosion, discovered many coal-tar derivatives, and wrote on the history of early chemistry. He was a pioneer in the use of chemical analysis as a tool of archaeology. His work helped break down the traditional division between organic and inorganic compounds. He opposed the then-current idea that a “vital force” is responsible for synthesis and was one of the first to prove that all chemical phenomena depend on physical forces that can be measured.