Mitscherlich, Eilhard (1794–1863)

German chemist who discovered isomorphism (the phenomenon in which substances of analogous chemical composition crystallize in the same crystal form). He also synthesized many organic compounds for the first time.

Mitscherlich was born in Jever, Lower Saxony, and entered Heidelberg University to study Oriental languages, later continuing this study at Paris, but having to abandon it with the fall of Napoleon. He instead studied science at Göttingen and then worked with Swedish chemist Jöns Berzelius in Stockholm for two years. Mitscherlich became professor at Berlin 1825.

Mitscherlich began studying crystals in 1818. Observing that crystals of potassium phosphate and potassium arsenate appear to be nearly identical in form, he learned exact crystallographic methods and then applied spherical trigonometry to the data he obtained. He extended his researches to phosphates, arsenates, and carbonates, publishing the results 1822 and introducing the term isomorphism.

In 1834, Mitscherlich synthesized benzene, which he termed Benzin. He showed that yeast (which in 1842 he identified as a micro-organism) can invert sugar in solution.

Mitscherlich published his influential Lehrbuch der Chemie/Textbook of Chemistry 1829.