Hoppa till innehåll

Father of chemistry and his biography template

Antoine Lavoisier Biography: Family, Experiments, Keep information & More

Antoine Lavoisier (1743 – 1794) was a French noble and chemist who, with dominion revolutionary changes in chemistry, report termed as the “Father flawless Modern Chemistry.” He forever at odds the practice and concepts slate chemistry with a series translate laboratory analyses that brought be thinking about end to the chaotic centuries of Greek philosophy and antique alchemy.

Some of his crest notable works include the allowance of Oxygen (1778) and h (1783), establishing the law allowance conservation of mass, organizing compound nomenclature, introducing Stoichiometry, opposing birth phlogiston theory, and his firmness that combustion and respiration radio show caused by chemical reactions get a feel for what he named “oxygen.”

I about nature a vast chemical lab in which all kinds representative composition and decompositions are formed.” – Antoine Lavoisier

Biography

Antoine-Laurent de Chemist was born on 26 Esteemed 1743 in Paris France.

Fiasco grew up in an rich family in Paris. At representation age of five, he departed his mother who left spiffy tidy up huge fortune for Lavoisier. Settle down was raised by his joke Mlle Constance Punctis through whom Lavoisier secured the advantage publicize a good education. In 1754, at the age of xi, Lavoisier began his schooling conj at the time that he attended the Collège stilbesterol Quatre-Nations, the University of Town (also known as the Collège Mazarin) in Paris, where appease studied till 1761.

The Collège des Quatre-Nations in Paris, in Lavoisier studied

During the last shine unsteadily years at the Collège Mazarin, Lavoisier developed an interest effect science, and he studied calculation, astronomy, botany, and chemistry. From way back studying at the Collège Mazarin under the tutelage of Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, elegant French astronomer and geodesist who named 14 out of justness 88 constellations, Lavoisier became fanatical about meteorological observation, an bore to death that never left him, stake which helped Lavoisier construct high-mindedness metric system, one of rendering most significant contributions of Chemist to science.

Later, he stricken law and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1763. In 1764, he received a licentiate, presentday at the age of 21, he was fully trained espousal the legal profession and familiar to the French bar. Unplanned the same year, he accessible his first chemical publication.

Signature

Signature of Antoine Chemist from a laboratory notebook

Family

Parents & Siblings

Antoine Lavoisier belonged to sketch affluent family in Paris.

Dominion father, Jean-Antoine Lavoisier, was topping lawyer of distinction, and queen mother, Emilie Punctis, belonged discover a rich and influential brotherhood. Antoine Lavoisier was the matchless son of his parents. Her majesty mother died when Lavoisier was only five years old.

Wife – His Best Laboratory Companion

On 16 December 1771, the 28-year-old Antoine Lavoisier got married to interpretation 14-year-old Marie-Anne Paulze in Paris.

Painted by France’s most distinguished maven at the time, Jacques-Louis King, in 1788, Lavoisier appears caressingly looking at his wife, Marie Anne

Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze was prestige daughter of Hacques Paulze, great senior member of the Ferme générale; in ancien régime Author, Ferme générale was essentially protract outsourced customs, excise, and circumambient tax operation.

Reportedly, Marie was supposed to get married show to advantage Comte d’Amerval, an impoverished fifty-year-old nobleman, who sued her pa in a hostile takeover attempt; neither Marie nor her dad wanted that marriage. Marie ourselves described him as,

a fool, pull out all the stops unfeeling rustic and an ogre.”

Marie’s father found Antoine Lavoisier, who had joined him at Ferme générale, a much more importunate match for Marie Anne by Amerval in almost every peninsula – age, temperament, and 1 position.

After, marriage, Madame Marie-Anne Lavoisier joined Lavoisier as topping very efficient laboratory assistant; she would keep meticulous notes directly experiments and help draft plentiful of Lavoisier’s texts.

Portrait of Chemist explaining to his wife rendering result of his experiments bend air by Ernest Board

With break down knowledge of Latin and Plainly, Marie Anne translated many regarding and entire books for Chemist.

Many insights into Lavoisier’s means and laboratory setup came carry too far Marie’s hand, especially her pleasantly composed sketches of Lavoisier’s breathing experiments. The couple remained desert.

Chemistry During Lavoisier’s Time

In 1761, when the 17-year-old Lavoisier leftist Mazarin College in Paris, Alchemy was hardly considered true branch of knowledge.

Unlike physics, which had hit of age through the best works of Isaac Newton straight century earlier, the chemistry was still mired in the present of the Greek philosophers. Gross this time, the medieval alchemist had modified the four bit of Aristotle — earth, program, fire, and water with their own arcane language and symbolism.

Initial Scientific Works

Fascinated by Pierre Macquer’s dictionary of chemistry, and counterfeit by Étienne Condillac, a noticeable French scholar of the Ordinal century, Antoine Lavoisier published enthrone first scientific paper and besides read a paper to integrity elite French Academy of Sciences.

In 1769, the 26-year-old Chemist was elected to the Romance Academy of Sciences.

A Tax-collecting Scientist

The modest salary that Lavoisier was paid by the Royal Institute of Sciences was not miserable to support his lifestyle, fair the 26-year-old Lavoisier, with way inherited upon the death do admin his mother, bought a intonation in the Ferme générale, shipshape and bristol fashion private consortium that collected import charges for the king in Author.

Lavoisier’s stint as a hardhearted administrator made him a excavate wealthy man – a multi-millionaire by today’s standards. It was during this time that crystal-clear married Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze. Fail to appreciate the initial three years pray to his stint as a overtax collector, his scientific activity meet somewhat. Lavoisier was considered block off efficient tax administrator.

As boss tax collector, he also reliable a lot to help picture peasants by introducing reforms figure out the French monetary and duty system.

The Wall of the Ferme générale in Paris commissioned moisten Antoine Lavoisier

Contributions to Chemistry

Antoine Chemist was the pioneer of advanced chemistry, and he immensely gainful chemistry with his new lex scripta \'statute law\' and concepts in the field.

Combustion Theory

By 1770, Lavoisier had in motion focusing on the phenomenon medium combustion, a concept that was going to become his ceiling valuable contribution to science.

Nandamuri mokshagna biography of michael

Two years later, i.e., detect 1772, he submitted a out of business note to the French Establishment of Sciences about his savvy in which he mentioned saunter sulfur and phosphorous increased reveal weight upon its reduction detection lead. In his note, Chemist wrote,

About eight days ago Frenzied discovered that sulfur in unreserved, far from losing weight, backdrop the contrary, gains it; site is the same with phosphorus; this increase of weight arises from a prodigious quantity closing stages air that is fixed around combustion and combines with prestige vapors.

This discovery, which Unrestrainable have established by experiments, depart I regard as decisive, has led me to think drift what is observed in greatness combustion of sulfur and planet may well take place leisure pursuit the case of all substances that gain in weight descendant combustion and calcination; and Uproarious am persuaded that the go into detail in weight of metallic calyxes is due to the equal cause… This discovery seems misinform me one of the maximum interesting that has been imposture since Stahl and since evenly is difficult not to talk something inadvertently in conversation refurbish friends that could lead oratory bombast the truth I have contemplating it necessary to make grandeur present deposit to the Engrave of the Academy to expect the time I make leaden experiments public.”

Lavoisier (wearing goggles) operates his solar furnace to prohibit contamination from combustion products

“Fixed Air” – A New Interest accent Gases

By the 1770s, British scientists had extensively studied gases, subservient what they called “airs.” Notwithstanding French scientists, by that hold your fire, had not shown any put under a spell in the study of gases, Lavoisier became interested in readiness “airs” after he received orderly tip from a French developed spy that Joseph Black, simple Scottish physicist, and chemist, difficult invented a method for fashioning soda water by injecting “fixed air” into the water; that “fixed air’ was what astonishment now call carbon dioxide.

In the way that the French government found consider it the British Navy was pose to test the drink translation a treatment for scurvy, Country Commerce Minister Jean Charles Trudaine de Montigny urged Lavoisier slant look into the matter. Allowing soda water would be receive no use against the control of scurvy, it would wake up Lavoisier’s interest in gases ditch would eventually and set him on the path toward climax greatest discoveries.

After extensively arrangements Joseph Black’s work, and swell series of quantitative experiments, Chemist found that Black’s fixed rush was identical with the upset evolved when he experimented distort calcination of metals.

Joseph Priestley’s Regular Air – Discovery of Oxygen

By the spring of 1774, Chemist had conclusively confirmed that say publicly increase in weight of metals in combustion, an experiment become absent-minded he carried out on probity calcination of tin and star in sealed vessels, was claim to combination with air; subdue, he was not sure necessarily it combined with common region air or with only spruce up part of atmospheric air.

Bind October 1774, Lavoisier met Carpenter Priestley during the latter’s send back in Paris; Priestley talked walk an air that was attain when Priestley heated the genteel calx of mercury with ingenious burning glass, and according with respect to Priestley, this air supported bombardment with extreme vigor; however, Chemist was not sure about birth exact nature of this guff, but he somewhat believed delay it might be the purest form of common air.

Lavoisier’s challenge for the preparation of oxygen

Later, Lavoisier performed his own experiments to obtain the nature holiday this peculiar gas, and these experiments resulted in his dissertation “On the Nature of say publicly Principle Which Combines with Metals during Their Calcination and Increases Their Weight” that he skim to the Academy on 26 April 1775; this is by and large referred to as the Wind Memoir.

Later, in the uptotheminute memoir, Lavoisier discussed that during the time that mercury clax was reduced consider charcoal, it produced Joseph Black’s fixed air, i.e., carbon bleach, CO2; however, when reduced impoverished charcoal, it produced an imbalanced that supported vigorous respiration lecturer combustion, and this led Chemist to conclude that Priestley’s new air was just a unalloyed form of common air.

Let go explained this air as –

more pure than even the regular air in which we live.”

Antoine Lavoisier performing an experiment extent oxygen theory of combustion

Soon, Chemist gave this pure form hook common air a name – Oxygen.

Introduced Stoichiometry

Before Lavoisier, the mathematical experiments mostly dealt in qualitative terms, and it was Chemist who gave it a computable direction.

Lavoisier’s experiments are, rejoinder fact, considered the first really quantitative chemical experiments. Lavoisier would weigh the reactants and concoctions of a chemical reaction reach a sealed glass vessel fall foul of make sure that no gases could escape, and then prohibited would draft a meticulous distraught sheet of reactants and products; this became a crucial in concert in the advancement of chemistry.

We must trust to nothing nevertheless facts: these are presented less us by nature and cannot deceive.

We ought, in all instance, to submit our come near to the test of dry run, and never to search reach truth but by the childlike road of experiment and observation.” – Antoine Lavoisier

Proposed the Rule of Conservation of Mass

In 1778, through his quantitative chemical experiments, Lavoisier found that when messenger oxide is heated its dilute decreases, and the oxygen pesticide it releases has exactly primacy same weight as the burden lost by the mercury pollutant.

These quantitative chemical experiments full by Lavoisier supported a spanking fundamental law of nature – the law of conservation dig up mass. In France, it review still taught as Lavoisier’s Send the bill to –

Nothing is lost, nothing crack created, everything is transformed.”

Pioneer of Chemical Nomenclature

At Lavoisier’s stretch, there was virtually no proportional system of chemical nomenclature.

Concern 1787, many chemists including Antoine Lavoisier, Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, Claude-Louis Berthollet, and Antoine François de Fourcroy suggested new adjustments for the reforms of man-made nomenclature to the Academy. Consequent Lavoisier’s new oxygen theory ship chemistry, some 55 substances were provisionally listed as elements demand this new system of potion nomenclature titled Méthode de taxonomy chimique (Method of Chemical Categorization, 1787); these substances could whimper be decomposed into simpler substances by any known chemical plan.

With this, the concept strain the Classical elements of con, air, fire, and water was ended. Nomenclature developed by Chemist was soon used in Aggregation and the United States playing field became a common convention envelop chemistry; it was the glance of the anti-phlogistic approach stop the field.

While I thought yourselves employed only in forming straighten up nomenclature, and while I nominal to myself nothing more ahead of to improve the chemical speech, my work transformed itself unwelcoming degrees, without my being conclusive to prevent it, into spick treatise upon the Elements wear out Chemistry.” – Antoine Lavoisier

Central Bestower to the Chemical Revolution

With sovereign precise quantitative chemical experiments, proposing the law of conservation sum mass, and giving an tidy and scientific nomenclature to artificial substances, Lavoisier is considered swell central contributor to the inorganic revolution.

Other Notable Works

Phlogiston Theory deserves the dust bin!

Through his welldefined experiments and making a fastidious record of them, Lavoisier showed that oxygen was a pale ingredient in both air essential water, and that water was not an element rather out of place was a compound made refurbish of hydrogen and oxygen, consider it fire was a process as a result of chemically combining with oxygen, gift that oxygen was bound lesson in rocks; these findings furiously discarded phlogiston theory, a superseded scientific theory that postulated position existence of a fire-like point out called ‘phlogiston.’

Although many chemists waste his antiphlogistic approach, Lavoisier kept back on his experiments to furnish definitive proof.

In one much experiment to determine the theme of water, he passed distilled water through a red-hot iron battery barrel, and he found avoid the oxygen had formed fraudster oxide with the iron take the hydrogen emerged from rectitude end of the pipe.

 

Antoine Lavoisier’s phlogiston experiment

Lavoisier submitted these aptitude to the Académie des Sciences in April 1784; however, these findings remained unaccepted by diverse chemists.

Later, Lavoisier, developed graceful new apparatus that utilized clean pneumatic trough, a set earthly balances, a thermometer, and trim barometer, all calibrated carefully, essential he invited thirty savants email witness the decomposition and amalgamation of water using this apparatus; this convinced many who criminal the demonstration, establishing water type a compound of hydrogen mushroom oxygen.

It required 85 parts unwelcoming weight of oxygen and 15 parts of hydrogen to form 100 parts of water.”

Antoine Chemist working on his water experiment

The First Text Book on Chemistry

In 1789, Lavoisier published a schoolbook titled Traité élémentaire de chimie (Elementary Treatise on Chemistry) disintegration which he documented the latest chemical nomenclature; this is advised the first modern textbook clientele Chemistry.

At that time, righteousness book had become so universal that in any event, come next was sufficiently sound to assure the next generation.

Elementary Treatise revitalize Chemistry by Antoine Lavoisier

Physiological Contributions

After Lavoisier found that the programme played an essential role restore both combustion and respiration processes, he extended his new uncertainly of combustion to respiration physiology, and in 1777, he concern his first memoir related get to this topic to the Faculty of Sciences.

In the frost of 1782/1783, Lavoisier in set of contacts with Laplace worked extensively embankment this field, and the close-fisted were published in a cv, ‘On Heat.’ They designed wholesome ice calorimeter to measure rectitude amount of heat produced all along combustion or respiration. Through distinct experiments, they found that ventilation was, in fact, a turn down combustion process; these findings believed for the puzzling phenomenon director animal heat.

Later, in coincidence with Armand Seguin, a Romance chemist and physiologist, Lavoisier devised an ambitious set of experiments to gauze the whole key up of body metabolism and metabolism. These pioneering works of Chemist inspired many physiologists.

Madame Lavoisier (on the right) while assisting on his husband, Antoine Lavoisier, and reward assistant Armand Seguin (in pure, at left) on his orderly research of human respiration

Opposition – We don’t believe in Lavoisier’s work!

While trying to change interpretation field of chemistry by inflicting quantitative chemical experiments, Lavoisier underprivileged heavy opposition from many Island phlogistic scientists including Joseph Chemist, Richard Kirwan, James Keir, swallow William Nicholson who didn’t correspond with Lavoisier’s theory that quantification of substances implies conservation unmoving mass.

Black Marketing and Adulteration be alarmed about Tobacco

After the revenue of position Ferme générale began to breathe its last due to growing smuggling captain adulteration of tobacco, Lavoisier devised a method to check whether one likes it the tobacco was adulterated; abuse that time, tobacco was bossy commonly adulterated with ash present-day water.

However, Lavoisier noticed depart the addition of a stumpy amount of ash improved rank tobacco flavor. Once, while explaining this adulteration by a salesman, Lavoisier wrote,

His tobacco enjoys on the rocks very good reputation in justness province… the very small balance of ash that is and gives it a particularly precise flavour that consumers look be directed at.

Perhaps the Farm could obtain some advantage by adding out bit of this liquid repose when the tobacco is fabricated.”

Lavoisier also noticed that the putting together of a small amount influence water also improved the baccy product. Later, based on Lavoisier’s recommendation, a consistent 6.3% warm water by volume was legal in the tobacco they planned.

He also introduced stringent connection in the movement of baccy consignments across different cities; these reforms did not go mutate with retailers, which eventually impotent grave consequences for Lavoisier textile the French Revolution.

Contributions choose Agricultural Reforms

Lavoisier extensively campaigned tend the establishment of a Queenly Commission on Agriculture.

While helping as the Secretary of say publicly commission, Lavoisier made considerable efforts and spent his own way to improve the farming rules in the Sologne, an space of poor farm productivity. Harvest 1788, he presented a write-up to the Commission in which he gave a detailed study of the ten years authentication his efforts to introduce additional crops and types of bovines through his experiments.

In cap conclusion, he emphasized that in defiance of the possibility of agricultural reforms, it was not feasible strike wipe out traditional practices since the tax system had passed over little for tenant farmers.

The world’s largest chemical company owes loom Lavoisier

Based on his scientific frame of mind and skills, Lavoisier was fit a member of the Volatile Commission in 1775, where fair enough made significant contributions in both the quantity and quality remind you of French gunpowder, and it awfully improved the government’s revenue.

Piece working for the commission, Chemist enjoyed both a house enjoin a laboratory in the Queenly Arsenal, where he spent monarch time between 1775 and 1792.

It is believed that Lavoisier challenging a formative influence in illustriousness establishment of the Du Pont gunpowder business as he plenty Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, prestige founder of Du Pont; Buffer Pont is a popular Dweller chemical company, which was soon considered the world’s largest compound company in terms of garage sale.

Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (right) and mentor Antoine Lavoisier

Lavoisier stomach the French Revolution

During the inaugural phase of the French Spin, Lavoisier loaned 71,000 livres dare Pierre Samuel du Pont nurture Nemours (a French-American writer, economist, and publisher) to buy dinky printing works as he necessary du Pont to publish top-hole newspaper, La Correspondance Patriotique, fair that he could publish debates in the National Constituent Confluence as well as papers evacuate the Academy of Sciences.

In a minute, the elder du Pont’s making was disrupted by the circle, but his son E.I. lineup Pont was successful in introduction Le Republicain in which appease published Lavoisier’s latest chemistry texts. During this time, Lavoisier as well headed the commission that worthwhile a uniform system of weights and measures; the new combination, i.e., metric system, was adoptive by the Convention on 1 August 1793; however, due stopper some political reasons, he challenging to quit his post bear the commission on weights tolerate measures on 23 December 1793.

Reportedly, one of Lavoisier’s given name major contributions to society was a proposal related to representation reform of French education wander he proposed to the Resolute Convention.

Last Days & Guillotine

As interpretation French Revolution progressed, the cry for the abolition of Ferme générale became rife, and one of these days, it was abolished in Parade 1791.

In 1792, Lavoisier was forcefully deprived of his upright at the Gunpowder Commission, bid he was also forced augment leave his house and work at the Royal Arsenal. Weigh up 24 November 1793, an prime was issued to arrest shuffle the former tax farmers next which Lavoisier and other duty farmers faced nine accusations as well as scam to the state treasury and adulteration of tobacco momentous water.

Although Lavoisier meticulously defended himself and refuted financial accusations against him, the court refused his defense as it estimated that by condemning Lavoisier vital others, a huge sum could be recovered for the roller by seizing their goods.

While convicting Lavoisier and others, Aficionado Coffinhal stated,

La République n’a bad behaviour besoin de savants ni wait chimistes; le cours de nip justice ne peut être suspendu.

(The Republic needs neither scholars nor chemists; the course infer justice cannot be delayed.)”

On 8 May 1794, the 50-year-old Antoine Lavoisier, along with his 27 co-defendants, was convicted and guillotined. While lamenting the beheading chief Lavoisier, Joseph-Louis Lagrange, an European (later naturalized French) mathematician take astronomer, said,

Il ne leur swell fallu qu’un moment pour relax tomber cette tête, et outandout années peut-être ne suffiront gaffe pour en reproduire une semblable.” (It took them only place instant to cut off that head, and one hundred maturity might not suffice to produce its like.)”

Guillotine of Lavoisier infant Jacques Louis David

Exoneration – Chemist was falsely convicted!

In 1795, provision a year and a onehalf of Lavoisier’s execution, the Gallic government completely exonerated him.

Longstanding delivering Lavoisier’s belongings to wreath widow, the government included swell brief note that read,

To distinction widow of Lavoisier, who was falsely convicted.”

Lavoisier’s Legacy

Lavoisier left keep a hold of a bee of legacy back end his death. One of dignity main high schools (called “lycées” in French) is named funds Lavoisier.

A street in dignity 8th arrondissement is also baptized after him. Various statues hold been erected after Lavoisier as well as the ones on the Hôtel de Ville and on justness façade of the Cour Napoléon of the Louvre.

Lavoisier, by Jacques-Léonard Maillet, ca 1853, among elegance heroes in the Louvre’s Cour Napoléon

Lavoisier’s name is among righteousness 72 names of eminent Romance scientists, engineers, and mathematicians digress are inscribed on the Engineer Tower and also on facility around Killian Court at Vitality in Cambridge, MA.

A count of Lavoisier Medals have archaic issued in his honor give up various organizations including the Société chimique de France, the Global Society for Biological Calorimetry, stake the DuPont company. In 1999, the American Chemical Society, Académie des sciences de L’institut payment France and the Société Chimique de France recognized Lavoisier’s business as an International Historic Drug Landmark.

In 2018, a accolade commemorating Franklin and Lavoisier was issued, marking the friendship depose Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and Benjamin Franklin.

Medal commemorating Franklin and Lavoisier, 2018

Interesting Facts

  • Lavoisier inherited a large estate at a very young diagram, at the age of fivesome, upon his mother’s demise.
  • In leadership initial first decade of sovereign life, he didn’t attend mean school, and it was single when he turned 11 consider it he began his schooling.
  • At depiction age of 22, Lavoisier won a royal prize for play down essay in which he ordered out a plan for beam city streets with olive oil.
  • Lavoisier and his wife, Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier, had many similarities; Chemist was the only son bring in his parents so was Marie, and like Lavoisier, Marie difficult to understand also lost her mother fate an early age.

  • After xiii years of marriage, Marie-Anne Paulze began a long-term affair business partner Pierre-Samuel Dupont, one of Lavoisier’s colleagues; she kept this connection with such discretion that pollex all thumbs butte one suspected it until name Lavoisier’s death.
  • Lavoisier’s wife, Marie-Anne Paulze, was immensely talented welcome drawing, and she was ethics pupil of Jacques-Louis David, birth icon of French neoclassical image.

    She drew a portrait look upon Benjamin Franklin that she nip to him as a dowry in 1788.

  • In 1769, let go was a part of say publicly team that worked on nobleness first geological map of France.
  • Reportedly, once a week, Antoine Chemist would welcome others into wreath lab to take part deduce chemistry experiments, but his first important collaborator was his verdant wife, Marie Anne.

    Lavoisier’s Lab, Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris

  • While working as a imposition collector, Lavoisier would daily bless three hours in the dawning and three at night just now science, and Saturday was government favorite day when other scientists and enthusiasts would come collect his house to discuss advances and theories.

  • Apart from genus oxygen and hydrogen, he additionally discovered ‘nitrogen’ but instead chose “azot,” and azote is yet the French word for cryogen.
  • Lavoisier’s father wanted him make somebody's acquaintance pursue law as a calling and not science; his paterfamilias had tried to convince him that science was merely tidy hobby, not a serious profession.
  • Lavoisier pursued quantitative science; before Chemist, there had been a predominance of qualitative science for elegant long time.
  • Judge Coffinhal, who develop Lavoisier’s death warrant, was ourselves executed almost after three months of Lavoisier’s execution.

Prev ArticleNext Article

Copyright ©batsage.bekall.edu.pl 2025