before the nineteenth century, chemists believed the world to be made of either
“living matter” or “non-living matter.” They thought that the processes of life were
unlike the processes of nature. They assumed life could not be explained by the
laws of physics and chemistry alone. They argued that the molecules of life could only
be made by the living organisms themselves. It was not until 1828, when the German
chemist Friedrich Wohler created an organic compound from inorganic matter, that the
field of biochemisty began to develop. It became a new branch of science dealing with
the chemistry of living systems. Since Whler’s discovery, chemists have made significant
advances in understanding the chemical structure and functioning of biological molecules