This pattern was set in 1879 when a chemist called Constantin Fahlberg was working with coal tar derivatives at Johns Hopkins University in the hope of discovering a new food preservative.

这一规律最早可追溯到 1879 年，当时一位名叫康斯坦丁·法尔贝格的化学家在约翰·霍普金斯大学研究煤焦油衍生物，希望发现一种新的食品防腐剂。