Question

What is the meaning of "vital force theory" in organic chemistry?

Answer 1

Vital force theory:

• “Around the year 1780, chemists began to distinguish between organic compounds obtained from plants and animals and inorganic compounds prepared from mineral sources”.
• Berzilius, a Swedish chemist proposed that a ‘vital force’ was responsible for the formation of organic compounds.

The principles of vital force theory are:

• The synthesis of organic compounds requires a vital force.
• Organic compounds cannot be made in the laboratory from inorganic compounds.
• Only living organisms contain this vital force.