Editing 1855 in science (section)

==Chemistry==
* May 10 – The [[Bunsen burner]] is invented by [[Robert Wilhelm Bunsen]].
* [[Friedrich Gaedcke]] first isolates the [[cocaine]] [[alkaloid]], which he names "erythroxyline".<ref>{{cite journal|title=Ueber das Erythroxylin, dargestellt aus den Blättern des in Südamerika cultivirten Strauches Erythroxylon Coca|last=Gaedcke|first=F.|journal=[[Archiv der Pharmazie]]|volume=132|issue=2|pages=141–150|year=1855|doi=10.1002/ardp.18551320208|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1424529/files/article.pdf}}</ref>
* [[William Odling]] proposes a [[methane]] type ([[tetravalent]]) for carbon.
* [[Charles-Adolphe Wurtz]] publishes the [[Wurtz reaction]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Sur une nouvelle classe de radicaux organiques|first=Adolphe|last=Wurtz|journal=[[Annales de chimie et de physique]]|volume=44|pages=275–312|year=1855|url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k34785p/f274.table|access-date=2012-02-07}}</ref>
* [[Benjamin Silliman, Jr.]] pioneers methods of [[petroleum cracking]], which makes the entire modern [[petrochemical]] industry possible.<ref>{{cite web|title=Benjamin Silliman, Jr. (1816–1885) |work=Picture History |publisher=Picture History LLC |year=2003 |url=http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/17879/mcms.html |access-date=2007-03-24  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707023346/http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/17879/mcms.html |archive-date=2007-07-07 }}</ref>