The following transformations and product
analyses revealed the robust benzoyl radical (which had been
hypothesized by Lavoisier in 1789).
Two quotes from Wöhler & Liebig, Annalen der Pharmacie,
3, 249 (1832)
On pure "Benzoylhydride" [benzaldehyde] from
"bittermandelöl" [oil of bitter almonds]:
Its odor is not much different
from that of the crude oil; its taste is biting and
aromatic.
On benzoyl cyanide:
Its taste is pungent, sweet, weaker
than hydrogen cyanide.
Liebig and Wöhler lived full lives (to age 70 and 82,
respectively), but of course many 18th and 19th century chemists
suffered for their discoveries.
Click here to see Contemporary
Relevance of a Traditional Radical