. ▁▁ ▁W öh ler ▁observed ▁that ▁" sil ici um " ▁( sil icon ) ▁can ▁be ▁obtained ▁in ▁cry st als , ▁and ▁that ▁some ▁meteor ic ▁stones ▁contain ▁organ ic ▁matter . ▁ ▁He ▁analyz ed ▁meteor ites , ▁and ▁for ▁many ▁years ▁wrote ▁the ▁dig est ▁on ▁the ▁literature ▁of ▁meteor ites ▁in ▁the ▁Jahres ber ichte ▁über ▁die ▁Fort sch rit te ▁der ▁Chem ie ; ▁he ▁possessed ▁the ▁best ▁private ▁collection ▁of ▁meteor ic ▁stones ▁and ▁ir ons ▁existing . ▁ ▁Organ ic ▁chem istry ▁W öh ler ▁has ▁been ▁regarded ▁as ▁a ▁pione er ▁in ▁organ ic ▁chem istry ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁his ▁synth es izing ▁u rea ▁from ▁am mon ium ▁cy an ate ▁in ▁the ▁W öh ler ▁synth esis ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 8 . ▁In ▁a ▁letter ▁to ▁Swedish ▁chem ist ▁J ö ns ▁Jacob ▁Ber zel ius ▁the ▁same ▁year , ▁he ▁wrote , ▁' In ▁a ▁manner ▁of ▁speaking , ▁I ▁can ▁no ▁longer ▁hold ▁my ▁chemical ▁water . ▁I ▁must ▁tell ▁you ▁that ▁I ▁can ▁make ▁u rea ▁without ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁kid ne ys ▁of ▁any ▁animal , ▁be ▁it ▁man ▁or ▁dog .' ▁ ▁This ▁discovery ▁has ▁become ▁celebrated ▁as ▁a ▁ref ut ation ▁of ▁vital ism , ▁the ▁hypothesis ▁that ▁living ▁things ▁are ▁alive ▁because ▁of ▁some ▁special ▁" v ital ▁force ". ▁It ▁was ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁end ▁for ▁one ▁popular ▁vital ist ▁hypothesis , ▁the ▁idea ▁that ▁" organ ic "