AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The theory was disproved by Friedrich Wohler, who showed that heating silver cyanate (an inorganic compound) with ammonium chloride (another inorganic compound) produced urea, without the aid of a living organism or part of a living organism.

Detailed explanation-2: -Answer and Explanation: Urea disproved the theory of vitalism by showing that biological materials can be produced from regular mechanical materials. Friedrich Wohler conducted experiments, in which he produced Urea from inorganic materials.

Detailed explanation-3: -Falsification of theories: the artificial synthesis of urea helped to falsify vitalism. Urea was discovered in urine in the 1720s and was assumed to be a product of the kidneys. At that time it was widely believed that organic compounds in plants and animals could only be made with the help of a “vital principle”.

Detailed explanation-4: -What piece of experimental evidence used urea to falsify the theory of vitalism? The formula or urea showed that it was made from carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Urea was extracted from kidneys, showing that it was produced in living organisms.