Organic Chemistry/Foundational concepts of organic chemistry/History of organic chemistry/Vital force theory
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Long ago, people observed the differences between compounds that were derived from living things and those that were not. There seemed to be an impassable gap between the properties of the two groups. Someone proposed the vital force theory to explain the difference. The theory said that there was a something called a vital force that dwelled within the organic material that did not exist in the nonorganic materials. However, to echo the words of President Ronald Reagan, it was "only" a theory.