Peter
NasutiHistory
Who first found Methanol?
A form of methanol dates back to the days of the Ancient Egyptians. They used methanol for embalming the dead, however this compound was not pure. Methanol was found in a pure state for the first time in 1661 by Robert Boyle. Boyle "called it spirit of box, because he produced it via distillation of boxwood. It later became known as pyroxylic spirit." (Source 1) In 1834, methanol's elemental composition was determined by two French chemists. These chemists brought the word methylene into organic chemistry and the name was shortened to methanol in 1892 by the "International Conference on Chemical Nomenclature." A way to convert synthesis gas into methanol was found in 1923 by two German chemists.