Biography: Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier (1743 – 1794) was a French scientist considered by many to be the father of modern chemistry. His most im- portant experiments investigated the nature of ignition and combustion. While not having discovered any new substances in his lifetime, he im- proved laboratory methods and devised the system of chemical terminol- ogy which is, to a great extent, still used today. He was instrumental in the overthrow of phlogiston theory. Moreover, he proved the law of con- servation of mass and discovered that hydrogen, in combination with ox- ygen, produces water. His work was characterized by organizational skills, abundance of good ideas, universality, and modernism. As a result of his accomplishments, his name appears among the 72 names at the Eiffel Tower. Lavoisier was born in Paris on August 26, 1743. mineralogy. It was shortly after his graduation, on He was born to an affluent bank-clerk family. At August 11, 1764, that he began his apprenticeship the age of five, he inherited possessions left to him in the Parisian Parliament (Parlement de Paris). after his mother’s death. From a young age, he was He was open-minded and curious about every- interested in nature and he often carried out bar- thing that surrounded him. Not giving up on his ometrical and meteorological observations. interests, he devoted himself to geology, physics, In 1754, Antoine started attending Collège des and chemistry, which resulted in his first pub- Quatre Nations (Collège Mazarin), which was lished book in chemistry in 1764. known for its advanced teaching and focus on Ex- In 1767, he obtained a job working as a geolo- act and Natural Sciences. Here, he studied math- gist in the Alsace-Lorraine. On May 18, 1768, at ematics and astronomy. Young Lavoisier was also the age of twenty-four, he was chosen to become a interested in botany, geology, and mineralogy, and member of French Academy of Science. In the attended some chemistry courses. He left Collège following year, he worked on the first geological Mazarin in 1761. In the same year, persuaded by map of France, while still carrying out numerous his father, he took up Law studies at the University chemistry experiments. He wrote on the origin of of Paris and obtained his Bachelor’s degree on chemical elements and combustion. He also ex- September 6, 1763. One year later on July 26, 1764, perimented with electrical discharges, and com- he acquired a license to run a solicitor practice. pared various barometers. It was likely due to his studies in Law that his The daily life of Lavoisier was focused entirely works were so well written, with their meanings on science. In 1771, he married a 13-year-old always easily comprehensible, clear, well-defined, young lady named Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze, and fully logical. Antoine always cared about his who, in time, became an excellent scientific work- intellectual property, and therefore he rewrote his er. She translated books into English for him (eg., works several times, always thoroughly presenting Essay on Phlogiston, by Richard Kirwan), as well as the outcomes of his research. He presented the Joseph Priestley’s research on the nature of heat in detailed reports of his observations and conclu- chemical reactions and his correspondence with sions to the Secretary of the Academy of Science, English chemists. She also made drafts of manu- who kept them in sealed envelopes to avoid a dis- scripts and figures of the laboratory instruments pute over precedence. Probably due to his legal used by Lavoisier and his friends. Mrs. Lavoisier training his core values included sincerity and re- managed a small, but lively, science salon where spect for the law. scientists could go to perform their experiments During his law studies, young Lavoisier was and discuss their ideas. She also corresponded able to attend lectures on the Natural Sciences. In with many French scientists and naturalists who particular, he was enthusiastic about geology and were impressed with her intelligence. To Lavoisier, Biography: Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier 1 Storytelling Teaching Model: wiki.science-stories.org she proved to be an outstanding assistant, friend, the phlogiston theory, which maintained that ma- and partner in his scientific research. terials gave off a substance called phlogiston dur- From 1775 onwards, Lavoisier served in the ing combustion (Reflexions sur le Phlogistique, Administration Royale Des Poudres, where his 1783). research led to improving gunpowder and invent- In co-operation with the French scientist ing a new method of saltpeter production. Claude-Louis Berthollet, Lavoisier created the Lavoisier’s versatility and his legal studies led chemical nomenclature (Méthode de nomencla- him to take an interested in politics. At the age of ture chimique, 1787). Its terminology is, for the 26, he became a tax collector employed by a pri- most part, still in use today, with words like sulfu- vate company. While working for the government, ric acid or sulfates. he developed a new system of measures which In 1786, Lavoisier advocated that the “caloric” were aimed at the standardization of scales for all theory replace the phlogiston theory. The caloric of France. However, it was not politics, but chem- theory held two basic ideas: first, that the total heat istry which brought him significant fame. of the universe is constant, and second, that the As mentioned before, Lavoisier is considered heat present in matter is a function of the matter by many to be the father of modern chemistry. His and its state. He also assumed that caloric fluid most important experiments concerned the nature was a substance and in order to measure it, to- of ignition and combustion. These experiments gether with Pierre Laplace, created the first water- showed that oxygen played a central role in both ice calorimeter. of these processes. Antoine also showed that oxy- Lavoisier took advantage of the new calorime- gen plays a key role in respiration for animals and ter to determine the quantity of heat produced by plants, as well as in the process of metal rusting. guinea pigs and the amount of heat per unit of He also discovered that hydrogen, in combina- carbon dioxide produced, and found that the rate tion with oxygen, produces water, thus contradict- of combustion is greater during movement than ing the ancient theory of four elements (water, air, during rest. fire, earth). Due to Lavoisier’s research, it was possible to In Sur la combustion en general (About igni- establish that food was oxidized after being eaten. tion, 1777) and Considérations Générales sur la As a result of that process, heat was produced Nature des Acides (Considerations about the na- simultaneously, which Lavoisier and Laplace ture of acids, 1778), he showed that “air” being an measured using the calorimeter. Their research on ingredient of the combustion process is also the calorimetry is, to this day, one of the essential el- source of acidity. In 1779, he first used the term ements of teaching about nutrition. Its importance “oxygen” for the part of “air” that was responsible is supported by the fact, that until the early 20th for burning, and the term “nitrogen” for the other century, caloric value was the sole indicator of the part of “air.” nutrient value of food. Calories were also used to Lavoisier’s experiments were some of the first determine how much food a human needed. that could be characterized as quantitative re- Lavoisier was an activist, and was deeply con- search. He demonstrated that even though matter vinced of the need for social reform in France. He changed its state in chemical reactions, the overall was a member of the community in favor of tax mass of reactants and products remained equal reforms and new economic strategies. During the from the beginning of the reaction to its end. French revolution, he published a report on the While burning phosphorous and sulfur, he no- financial situation of France. It was shortly after- ticed that the product of the reaction weighed wards that he was called a traitor by the revolu- more than its reactants. He showed that the sur- tionists for being a tax collector. For his political plus weight is compensated for by the loss of the and economic views he was sentenced to death. mass of air. These experiments provided the basis Prior to being executed, he asked the judge for for formulating the law of conservation of mass. permission to complete his scientific research, Lavoisier’s explanations led to the overthrow of first. However, the judge’s reply was: “La Ré- 2 Biography: Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier Storytelling Teaching Model: wiki.science-stories.org publique n'a pas besoin de savants ni de chimistes; Biography: Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier was edited by le cours de la justice ne peut être suspend” (“The Stephen Klassen and Cathrine Froese Klassen and is based, Republic needs neither scientists nor chemists; the in part on Historical Background: Food, energy and work – course of justice cannot be delayed”). He was guil- developing a science of nutrition written by Andreas Junk. lotined in Paris on May 8, 1794, and later buried in the cemetery in Errancis. Biography: Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier was written by Grażyna Drążkowska with the support of the European References Commission (project 518094-LLP-1-2011-1-GR- cti.itc.virginia.edu COMENIUS-CMP) and Polish Association of Science Teach- historyofscience.free.fr/Comite-Lavoisier/ ers, Poland. This publication reflects the views only of the http://moro.imss.fi.it/lavoisier/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for _Lavoisier any use which may be made of the information contained www.chemheritage.org therein.