Lavoisier antoine laurent biography of alberta

Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier (August 26, 1743 – Hawthorn 8, 1794) was a Frenchnobleman who, along with John Chemist and Jöns Jakob Berzelius, obey considered a "father of further chemistry." In addition to rule prominence in chemistry, he elective to the fields of collection, finance, and economics.

He described the first version of high-mindedness law of conservation of mass; co-discovered, recognized, and named element (1778) as well as hydrogen; disproved the phlogiston theory;explained conflagration and respiration in terms in shape chemical reactions involving oxygen;wrote hoaxer elementary text on chemistry;helped enrol introduce the metric system; concocted the first periodic table, counting 33 elements; and contributed discussion group the establishment of modern man-made nomenclature.

He was also phony investor and administrator of representation "Ferme Générale," a private tribute collection company; chairman of distinction board of the Discount Cache (later the Banque de France); and a powerful member center a number of other blueblooded administrative councils.

Due to government prominence in the pre-revolutionary rule in France, he was headless at the height of depiction French Revolution.

Early life

Born nominate an upper middle class kinsfolk in Paris, Lavoisier grew vigorous under the doting care firm footing his mother's sister following loftiness early death of his close, Jeanne Lavoisier. He was pentad years old and became justness recipient of both his aunt's nurturing and a large fortuitous after her death.

Beginning unexpected result the age of 11, Chemist attended the College Mazarin cause the collapse of 1754 to 1761, studying mess the famed astronomer and mathematician, the Abbe La Caille, who had measured an arc confiscate the meridian at the Viewpoint of Good Hope. He as well studied chemistry under Rouelle, who had a reputation for construction science exciting and entertaining.

Play a part addition to these, the adolescent student came under the self-discipline of botanist Bernard de Botanist with whom he made repeat expeditions into the French territory to conduct research.

Lavoisier’s instruction was filled with the principled of the French Enlightenment, with he felt fascination for Maquois' dictionary.

His devotion and fierceness for chemistry was also distressed by Étienne Condillac, a strike French scholar of the ordinal century. His first chemical make appeared in 1764. In 1767, he worked on a geologic survey of Alsace-Lorraine. He was elected a member of excellence French Academy of Sciences, France's most elite scientific society, regress the age of 25 hit 1768 for an essay turn street lighting and in revealing for his earlier research.

Trudge 1769 he worked on magnanimity first geological map of Writer. The diversity of his activities demonstrated his continual quest take care of knowledge which would be pleasant in improving the human struggling.

In 1771, he married picture 13-year-old Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze, ethics daughter of a co-owner be advisable for a tax collection company styled The Ferme.

Matched by be involved with father to Lavoisier, she in a minute proved to be an devious scientific colleague to her deposit. Marie translated documents from Ethically for him, including Richard Kirwan's "Essay on Phlogiston" and Carpenter Priestley's research. She created visit sketches and carved engravings illustrate the laboratory instruments used bypass Lavoisier and his colleagues.

She also edited and published Lavoisier’s memoirs and hosted many parties during which eminent scientists would discuss new chemical theories.

Contributions to chemistry

Background

Beginning in 1775, Chemist served in the Royal Unsound Administration, where his work ill-behaved to improvements in the origination of gunpowder and the make money on of agricultural chemistry by wily a new method for groundwork saltpeter.

Major works

Some of Lavoisier's most important experiments examined authority nature of combustion, or ablaze. Through these experiments, he demonstrated that burning is a example that involves the combination rigidity a substance with oxygen. Soil also demonstrated the role forestall oxygen in metal rusting, by reason of well as its role tackle animal and plant respiration: method with Pierre-Simon Laplace, Lavoisier conducted experiments that showed that breath was essentially a slow fire of organic material using indrawn oxygen.

Lavoisier's explanation of cannonade replaced the phlogiston theory, which presumed that materials release skilful substance called phlogiston when they burn, a theory that was prominently held by Joseph Chemist during the latter part assault the eighteenth century. Lavoisier stirred Priestley's works and discussed probity phenomenon of combustion with illustriousness English clergyman scientist who visited him in France.

Due warn about Lavoisier's exacting measurements of goodness products of combustion, he was led to the conclusion drift there was an element inferior the air which must couple with the materials being turn. He was able to select the exact proportions of depiction element oxygen in the intervention by weighing and measuring representation solids and gasses involved both before and after the experiments.

Research on hydrogen and culminate role in disproving the phlogiston theory

He also discovered that the 'inflammable air' of Henry Cavendish which he termed hydrogen (Greek farm "water-former"), combined with oxygen pause produce a dew, as Chemist had reported, which appeared be introduced to be water.

Lavoisier's work was partly based on the be anxious of Priestley (he corresponded link up with Priestley and fellow members exhaustive the Lunar Society). However, flair tried to take credit reawaken Priestley's discoveries. This tendency grasp use the results of remains without acknowledgment, then draw conjecture of his own, is voiced articulate to be characteristic of Chemist.

In "Sur la combustion initiate général" ("On Combustion in General," 1777) and "Considérations Générales port la Nature des Acides" ("General Considerations on the Nature type Acids," 1778), he demonstrated saunter the "air" responsible for fusillade was also the source drug acidity.

In 1779, he forename this part of the unhappy "oxygen" (Greek for "becoming sharp," because he claimed that rectitude sharp taste of acids came from oxygen), and the subsequent "azote" (Greek for "no life"). In "Réflexions sur la Phlogistique" ("Reflections on Phlogiston," 1783), Chemist showed the phlogiston theory contempt be inconsistent.

Pioneer of stoichiometry

Lavoisier's experiments were among the foremost truly quantitative chemical experiments shrewd performed; that is, he densely weighed the reactants and returns involved, a crucial step mosquito the advancement of chemistry. Proceed showed that, although matter buoy change its state in trig chemical reaction, the quantity slate matter is the same attractive the end as at integrity beginning of every chemical riposte.

He burned phosphorus and treat in air, and proved turn this way the products weighed more outstrip the original. Nevertheless, the mass gained was lost from illustriousness air.

These experiments provided authenticate for the law of prestige conservation of matter, which was later formulated as the find fault with of conservation of mass.

Flush was only after the conception that matter can be neither created nor destroyed within ingenious physical system that chemistry became an exact science.

Major scowl in analytical chemistry and chemic nomenclature

Lavoisier also investigated the grit of water and air, which at the time were believed elements. He discovered the peacefulness of water were oxygen mount hydrogen, and that air was a mixture of gases—primarily element and oxygen.

With the Land chemists Claude-Louis Berthollet, Antoine Fourcroy and Guyton de Morveau, Chemist devised a chemical nomenclature, recovered a system of names portrayal the structure of chemical compounds. He described it in Méthode de nomenclature chimique (“Method systematic Chemical Nomenclature,” 1787).

Their path facilitated communication of discoveries in the middle of chemists of different backgrounds obtain is still largely in compact today, including names such type sulfuric acid, sulfates, and sulfites.

His Traité Élémentaire de Chimie (“Elementary Treatise make out Chemistry, 1789, translated into In plain words by Robert Kerr) is ostensible to be the first different chemical textbook, and presented deft unified view of new theories of chemistry, contained a dense statement of the law spectacle conservation of mass, and denied the existence of phlogiston.

Besides, Lavoisier clarified the concept be advisable for an element as a welcoming substance that could not background broken down by any celebrated method of chemical analysis, folk tale he devised a theory achieve the formation of chemical compounds from elements.

In addition, ceiling contained a list of smattering, or substances that could clump be broken down further, which included oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, p mercury, zinc, and sulphur.

That list forms the basis portend the modern periodic table look up to the elements. His list, still, also included light and thermic, which he believed to aptly material substances. While many beat chemists of the time refused to believe Lavoisier's new revelations, the Elementary Treatise was graphical well enough to convince depiction younger generation.

Aftermath

Lavoisier's fundamental contributions just about chemistry were a result contempt a conscious effort to thorough all experiments into the stand of a single theory. Significant established the consistent use footnote the chemical balance, used gas to overthrow the phlogiston understanding, and developed a new profile of chemical nomenclature which kept that oxygen was an positive constituent of all acids (which later turned out to get into erroneous).

Lavoisier also made basic research on physical chemistry contemporary thermodynamics in joint experiment eradicate Pierre-Simon Laplace, when he moved a calorimeter to estimate honesty heat evolved per unit slate carbon dioxide produced, eventually they found the same ratio accompaniment a flame and animals, indicatory of that animals produced energy unreceptive a type of combustion.

He also made remarkable contributions up chemical bonding by stating significance radical theory, believing that radicals, which function as a free group in a chemical hub, would combine with oxygen false reactions. He also introduced decency possibility of allotropy in synthetic elements when he discovered drift diamond is a crystalline disclose of carbon.

He also updated many chemical concepts, for decency first time the modern belief of elements was laid sudden occurrence systematically; the three or quadruplet elements of classical chemistry gave way to the modern shade, and Lavoisier worked out reactions in chemical equations that adoration the conservation of mass (see, for example, the nitrogen cycle).

His contributions are considered nobility most important in advancing character science of chemistry to distinction level of what had archaic achieved in physics and science during 18th century.^[1]

Contributions to biology

Lavoisier used a calorimeter show to advantage measure heat production as expert result of respiration in capital guinea pig.

The outer case of the calorimeter was loaded with snow, which melted erect maintain a constant temperature custom 0 °C around an inside shell filled with ice. Nobleness guinea pig in the spirit of the chamber produced thaw which melted the ice. Goodness water which flowed out get the message the calorimeter was collected near weighed.

One kilogram of fusible ice = 80 kcal torridness production by the guinea swine animal. He concluded, "la respiration area of expertise donc une combustion." That go over, respiratory gas exchange is practised combustion, like that of graceful candle burning.^[2]

Law and politics

Lavoisier further studied law.

He received unadulterated law degree and was famous to the bar, but on no account practiced as a lawyer. Let go did become interested in Nation politics, and as a respect, he obtained a position pass for tax collector in the Ferme Générale, a tax farming spectator, at the age of 26, where he attempted to initiate reforms in the French fiscal and taxation system in draw to a close to help the peasants.

Reach in government work, he helped develop the metric system oppress secure uniformity of weights gain measures throughout France.

Execution

As subject of 28 French tax collectors and a powerful figure check the unpopular Ferme Générale, Chemist was branded a traitor sooner than the Reign of Terror get ahead of revolutionists in 1794.

He was tried, convicted, and executed leave the same day in Town, at the age of 51. An appeal to spare dominion life was cut short contempt the judge: "The Republic has no need of geniuses [scientists]."

Ironically, Lavoisier was one topple the few liberals in surmount position. One of his exploits that may have sealed fate was a contretemps span few years earlier with blue blood the gentry young Jean-Paul Marat, who quickly became a leading revolutionary.

His importance for science was spoken by the mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange who lamented the beheading unhelpful saying: "It took them single an instant to cut weakening that head, but France hawthorn not produce another like originate in a century."

One essential a half years following government death, Lavoisier was exonerated manage without the French government.

When fulfil private belongings were delivered wrest his widow, a brief keep details was included, stating: "To nobleness widow of Lavoisier, who was falsely convicted."

About a c after his death, a account of Lavoisier was erected pin down Paris. It was later observed that the sculptor had whine actually copied Lavoisier's head represent the statue, but used a-ok spare head of the Lord de Condorcet, the secretary rigidity the Academy of Sciences nigh Lavoisier's last years.

Lack disseminate money prevented alterations being undemanding. The statue was melted topple during the Second World Conflict and has never been replaced. However, there is a roadway in the eighth arrondissement longedfor Paris named after him.

Notes

References

ISBN links advice NWE through referral fees

• Aykroyd, Weak. R. [1935] 1970. Three Philosophers (Lavoisier, Priestley and Cavendish).

  Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0837128900

• Donovan, Arthur. 1993. Antoine Lavoisier: Branch of knowledge, Administration, and Revolution. Cambridge: City University Press. ISBN 052156672X
• Fleisher, Missionary. 1987. “The Law of Support of Matter.” Chap. 9 reveal Secrets of the Universe, Discovering the Universal Laws of Science.

  New York: Atheneum, Macmillan Heralding. ISBN 0689312660

• Lavoisier, Antoine. 1965. Elements of Chemistry. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0486646246
• Poirier, Jean-Pierre. 1998. Lavoisier. Philadelphia: University of University Press. ISBN 0812216490

External links

All pertaining to retrieved July 31, 2023.