Antoine Laurent LavoisierKnown as the “Father of Chemistry”

Received his degrees in law at the College Mazarin

Known for his work on Phlogiston and his Tables of Chemical Elements

A victim of the guillotine on May 8, 1794

Lavoisier has always been known as the “Father of Chemistry”because:

1. With the phlogiston theory disproved, chemistry could move forward.

2. The development of Lavoisier’s Table of Chemical Elements fulfilled the chemical language reformation that was needed to further chemistry.

3. Without these developments, modern Chemistry would not be what it is today.

Was Lavoisier really the “Father of Chemistry?”

However:

1. Lavoisier’s ability to disprove the phlogiston theory was ultimately based on Priestley’s experiments.

2. Lavoisier’s table of chemical elements was also developed with the help of Louis Bernard Guyton de Morveau, Claude Louis Berthollet, and Antoine Fourcroy.

3. It may seem that Lavoisier is merely a Co Father of Chemistry. However, Lavoisier developed the results of other scientific experiments (such as Priestley’s), which credits him with the final results.

1. The Phlogiston Theory: Lavoisier heated mercury, which became mercury oxide. The volume of air in the container with the mercury oxide became less, which supports the assumption that the mercury gave off phlogiston, which caused the volume of the air to decrease, in order to make room for the phlogiston. The problems began when Lavoisier reversed his experiment and heated the calx with charcoal, which returned it to its metallic form and released a gas (carbon dioxide, due to the charcoal). Lavoisier heated the mercury oxide, in order to see if more phlogiston would be released, causing the volume of air to decrease once again. However, the volume of air in the container with the mercury oxide increased to where it originally was and the mercury oxide returned to mercury. He did not conclude that the new gas was a fraction of atmospheric air until 1777. Lavoisier called this new gas oxygen, (oxy- “acid”; gen- “maker”) because it is the principle that makes acid.

Lavoisier’s Famous Work

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2. The Tables of Chemical Elements: Lavoisier’s idea: “Since nothing is either lost or created, it is possible to determine the nature of a compound body by analysis. Similarly, if one gives an exact designation to simple elements, one should be able to define compound bodies by combining words in the way one combines bodies.” The lists consisted of fifty-five elements (indecomposable substances), sixteen known metals, and other substances.

Salt (magnesium carbonate): was known as magnesie blanche, magnesie aere de Bergman, magnesie crayeuse, craie magnesienne, magnesie effervescente, mephite de magnesie, terre muriatique de Kirvan, poudre du comte de Palme, or poudre du comte de Santinelli. A total of nine different names.

Biography• Born in Paris, France, 1743 as the first child of Jean AntoineLaurent and Emilie Punctis.• He followed in his father’s footsteps and studied Law at the College Mazarin.• Lavoisier worked with geologist Jean-Etienne Guettard on the geology of France, analyzing the waters of France. He was eventually the youngest person ever elected to the Academy of Sciences.• In 1771, Lavoisier married Jaques Paulze, who recorded Lavoisier’s work and translated English texts for Lavoisier.

• When Lavoisier began his research in chemistry, several experiments on gases had already been conducted. Timeline of Lavoisier’s precursors

1648

Van Helmont creates the word “gas” and noted that different gases existed.

1659

Robert Boyle developed first apparatus to isolate gas. Defined element as a substance that cannot be decomposed. Studied the calcinations of metals.

1756

Joseph Black was first to succeed in isolating and identifying a gas: “fixed air.” Showed that fixed air was also produced in respiration, fermentation, and the burning of charcoal.

1766

Henry Cavendish isolated inflammable air (hydrogen) and differentiated it from Black’s fixed air.

1770’s

Joseph Priestley isolates several other gases.

1718

Georg Stahl explains combustion with the phlogiston theory, saying all combustible bodies contain an inflammable principle, named phlogiston. When the substance burns, it releases phlogiston.

Timeline

1774

Lavoisier meets with Joseph Priestley and they discuss Priestley’s experiments.

Melting of Ores

Fire Gives Phlogiston to Earth (Ore) to Produce Metal

Corrosion of Metal

Metal Surrenders Phlogiston to

Air to Produce Earth (Calx)

Combustion of Wood

Wood Surrenders Phlogiston to Air to Produce Earth (Ash) wood

Phlogiston in air

(phlogiston rich) Ashes into phlogiston

Phlogiston in air

Metal(Phlogiston rich)

(phlogiston poor) Earth

Scientists during the French Revolution

“Shiver my timbers, there they are, brought down at last, those Farmers General who grew rich only by ruining poor people!” --the Pere Duchesne

• In 1778, Lavoisier joins The Farmers General, the institution responsible for collecting taxes for the monarch.

• Members of The Farmers General were arrested on July 14, 1798. Although Lavoisier was not there during the time of the arrest, he soon turned himself in to the police, because he felt he could prove his innocence against the accusations. There was a total of about 8 different accusations, totaling 130 million livres.

• November 28, 1793, Lavoisier, along with his father-in-law, entered the Port-Libre prison, better known as “The Bog.” On December 25, the prisoners were moved to Lavoisier’s mansion, where he conducted his experiments.

• After the long trial process, the prisoners were beheaded by the guillotine on May, 8 1794. Lavoisier was relying on his scientific achievements to protect him; however, his politics overruled his science. Like many other scientists during the French Revolution, Lavoisier was persecuted for his political beliefs.