author
M. (Marcellin) Berthelot
1827–1907
A leading French chemist of the 19th century, he helped show that organic compounds could be made from inorganic substances, challenging older ideas about “vital force.” His career also reached beyond the laboratory into public life, where he served the French Republic in high office.
1 Audiobook
Séance De L'académie Française Du 2 Mai 1901 Discours De Réception De M. Berthelot; Réponse De M. Jules Lemaître
by M. (Marcellin) Berthelot, Jules Lemaître
About the author
Born in Paris in 1827, Marcellin Berthelot became one of France’s best-known chemists. He worked across organic chemistry, thermochemistry, and the history of science, and he was especially noted for experiments that synthesized organic compounds from inorganic materials. That work made him an important figure in the decline of vitalism and in the rise of modern chemical thinking.
Berthelot spent much of his career at the Collège de France, where he became the first professor of organic chemistry. He published widely and earned a major public reputation in his own lifetime, not only as a scientist but also as a writer on science and its history.
His life was not limited to research. Berthelot also took part in French political life as a senator and government official, including service as foreign minister. He died in Paris in 1907, leaving behind a legacy that links chemistry, public service, and the intellectual culture of 19th-century France.