Friedrich Sertürner (1783-1855)

Physicians have used herbs and other plants products to treat disease for centuries. During the 19th century, scientist began to pinpoint the chemical components that make these herbs effective treatment.

In 1805, German pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner isolates what he calls sleeping inducing factor’ from an opium plant.

In 1799, Friedrich Sertürner, who just sixteen years old, when he started work on opium at Cramer’s Pharmacy and then continue investigation in his own pharmacy.

In 1805, he published a paper in Trommsdorff’s Journal der Pharmacie, Vol 13, describing the discovery of opium. The following year, in Vol. 14 of the same journal, Sertürner published a series of chemical and pharmacological experiments involving the inactive meconic acid as well as the active opium constituent he named ‘morphium’, after, the Greek god of dreams.

Morphium or morphine is generally accepted as being the first medicinal alkaloid isolated from any plant.
Friedrich Sertürner (1783-1855)

Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge (1794-1867)

He was a German pharmacist who discovered aniline, which he called ‘kvanol’, in a coal tar in 1834. 

Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge was born in Billwarder, near Hamburg, 8 February 1795. Runge studied pharmacy before leaving his hometown in 1816 for Berlin, Jena and Gottingen to study medicine.

Runge obtaining a doctorate in philosophy in 1822 for De pigmento Indico eiusque conubiis cum metallorum nonnulorum oxydis.

He began his career as a pharmacist and after a long residence in Paris, became an associate professor of technological chemistry at the University of Breslau, Germany.

Later he served in the Prussian Marine in Berlin and Oranienburg. In 1834 he discovered carbolic acid, rosolic acid and other chemicals in the same substance. This was the beginning of coal-tar chemistry.

In 1820 he isolated an alkaloid from the coffee bean, which he dubbed ‘caffeine’ indicating something found in coffee.
Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge (1794-1867)