 He would later promote J. H. van't Hoff's theory of the tetrahedral carbon atom, believing that it, together with the supposition that there are "specially directed forces, the affinity-energies", which determine the relative position of atoms in the molecule, afforded a method by which the spatial arrangement of atoms in particular cases may be ascertained by experiment.While at Würzburg, Wislicenus developed the use of ethyl aceto acetate in organic synthesis.However, he was also active in inorganic chemistry, finding a reaction for the production of sodium azide.