, ▁W öh ler ▁and ▁Just us ▁Lie big ▁published ▁an ▁investigation ▁of ▁the ▁oil ▁of ▁bitter ▁al mond s . ▁They ▁proved ▁by ▁their ▁experiments ▁that ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁carbon , ▁hydro gen , ▁and ▁o xygen ▁atoms ▁can ▁behave ▁like ▁an ▁element , ▁take ▁the ▁place ▁of ▁an ▁element , ▁and ▁be ▁ex changed ▁for ▁elements ▁in ▁chemical ▁comp ounds . ▁Thus ▁the ▁foundation ▁was ▁laid ▁of ▁the ▁doctrine ▁of ▁comp ound ▁radical s , ▁a ▁doctrine ▁which ▁had ▁a ▁prof ound ▁influence ▁on ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁chem istry . ▁ ▁W öh ler ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁isol ate ▁the ▁elements ▁b ery l li um ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 8 ▁( also ▁independently ▁isolated ▁by ▁Antoine ▁B uss y ), ▁ ▁and ▁y tt rium ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 8 . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 5 0 , ▁he ▁determined ▁that ▁what ▁was ▁believed ▁until ▁then ▁to ▁be ▁met all ic ▁tit an ium ▁was ▁in ▁fact ▁a ▁mixture ▁of ▁tit an ium , ▁carbon , ▁and ▁nit ro gen , ▁from ▁which ▁he ▁derived ▁the ▁pur est ▁form ▁isolated ▁to ▁that ▁time . ▁( Comple t ely ▁pure ▁tit an ium ▁would ▁not ▁be ▁isolated ▁until ▁ 1 9 1 0 , ▁by ▁Matthew ▁A . ▁Hunter .) ▁ ▁W öh ler ▁and ▁Sainte ▁Cla ire ▁De ville ▁discovered ▁the ▁cry st all ine ▁form ▁of ▁bor on , ▁and ▁W öh ler ▁and ▁Heinrich ▁Buff ▁discovered ▁sil ane ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 6