Antoine Lavoisier
The Man Behind the Oxygen Combustion Theorem
The Life of Lavoisier
His Early Life
Experimental Design
Lavoisier used a collection of experiments involving the study of combustion of substances through the measurements of volumes of air and the weight of solids/residual air
He believed air was involved in combustion and decided acids contained air filled with various principles.
Defined water as oxygen combined with "inflammable air” or hydrogen. Oxygen gas wasn't the principle of acidity, instead he saw gases by a common caloric factor, or heat.
Throughout combustion, substances combine with the oxygen principle, and exert caloric from oxygen gas, this explained heat’s involvement.
Further experiments on animal respiration convinced him that respiration was a slow form of combustion.
The New Idea
Lavoisier and a few other chemist submitted a new program for the reforms of chemical nomenclature to Academy of Science in 1787. There was absolutely no rational system of chemical nomenclature at the time. This new idea had Lavoisier’s new oxygen theory of chemistry involved with it.
The Elements Include:
Light
Caloric (Matter of heat)
Oxygen
Hydrogen
Azote (Nitrogen)
Carbon
17 Metals
5 Earth (Mainly oxides of yet unknown metals such as Magnesia, Barite, and Strontia)
3 Alkalies
Potash
Soda
Ammonia
Sulfur
19 Organic Acids
Phosphorus
Hydrochloric Acid
Boracic Acid
Fluoric Acid
Experiments, Data, and Results
In the past the Phlogiston's Theory and Aristotle's ideas ruled the science world. The idea that fire is made up of the four elements: earth air, water, and fire. The idea that water was element was challenged by many scientists. They all conducted an experiment of synthesizing hydrogen and oxygen to form water but concluded around the theory of Aristotle. However, when Lavoisier did his experiment he noted that dephlogistated air (oxygen) and hydrogen were a compound to form water. This caused a major shift in the science field and the theory of Phlogiston and Aristotle.
Source Citations
Hendry, Robin. "Antoine Laurent Lavoisier." Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Gale, 2006.Biography in Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
"Antoine Laurent Lavoisier." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998.Biography in Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.