History of Isomerism
Accidental discoveries and insatiable curiosity fuel chemistry.
One such significant discovery is of isomerism, which also occurred around the period when the faith in vitalism, a belief that organic molecules must only come from living organisms, was dwindling.
It was a pleasant surprise to learn that urea, a by-product of urine produced by human kidneys, could also be synthesized by heating ammonium cyanate, an inorganic compound.