Antoine Lavoisier’s Theory

Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier was born on 26th August 1743 to a wealthy family that belonged to the nobility in Paris, France. His father was an attorney at the Parlement of Paris, and his mother left him a lot of fortune upon her death. 

In 1754, Lavoisier started his schooling at the Collège des Quatre-Nations in Paris. He was interested in scientific subjects like Chemistry, Astronomy, Botany and Botany. He got a Bachelor’s degree in Law and a licentiate in 1764. He continued to pursue scientific education in his free time. The French Academy of Science elected him as a member in 1769.

Antoine Lavoisier’s Scientific Achievements

1. Antoine Lavoisier’s theory of combustion:

Lavoisier was aroused by the combustion phenomenon even when most people did not understand the science behind burning. In 1772, Lavoisier found that burning phosphorus and sulphur in air produces acidic substances. He also found that the weight of the resulting products is more than the original weight of sulphur and phosphorus. This suggested that something combines with the elements in the air to produce acidic substances. Two years later, Joseph Priestley explained the gas produced when he burned Mercury Oxide. The name Oxygen was coined by Lavoisier in 1779 for the element produced by the decomposition of Mercury Oxide. Antoine Lavoisier’s theory was that oxygen was essential for respiration & combustion, and 20 per cent of air was made up of oxygen.

2. Antoine Lavoisier’s theory of Water:

The name Hydrogen was coined by Lavoisier for the new element discovered by Henry Cavendish in 1766. Lavoisier discovered that water is formed when hydrogen is burnt in the presence of oxygen. Antoine Lavoisier’s theory disproved the preexisting theory that water was an inseparable element and inferred that water is a chemical compound of hydrogen and oxygen.

3. Antoine Lavoisier’s theory of the Conservation of Mass:

Lavoisier conducted some of the first quantitative experiments rather than qualitative. He observed the weights of reactants and products upon a chemical reaction in a sealed glass container (closed system) to avoid the escape of gases. Lavoisier proposed a theory that “Matter can neither be created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction”. But he wanted to validate this theory with an experiment. While combusting mercury oxide, Lavoisier observed the weight of mercury oxide decreases, and the oxygen released in the process weighs the same as the weight of mercury oxide lost. Thus, Lavoisier proved his theory that “The total mass of the reactants is equal to the total mass of the products in a chemical reaction”.

4. Antoine Lavoisier’s Atomic Theory

Lavoisier described elements as chemicals that cannot be split into smaller components through chemical means. Antoine Lavoisier’s atomic theory was based on the law of conservation of mass, which explains that matter is conserved in chemical reactions. Antoine Lavoisier Atomic theory disproved the preexisting theory that earth, water, air, and fire are elements.

5. Antoine Lavoisier’s contribution to Nomenclature

Lavoisier and his colleagues came up with a new reform for chemical nomenclature in the late 18th century when there was no rational system to name the chemicals. Lavoisier came up with a list of 55 substances that couldn’t be broken down into smaller substances by chemical reactions, and these substances were known as elements. He suggested that water, earth, and air are chemical compounds of different elements.

Lavoisier also came up with a new system to name acids and salts. Acids with a higher proportion of oxygen will end with the suffix ‘ic’. In contrast, the ones with a lower oxygen ratio will end with the suffix ‘ous’, for example, phosphoric acid and phosphorus acid. Furthermore, salts made from acids with the suffix ‘ic’ will end with the suffix ‘ate’, while the salts made from acids with the suffix ‘ous’ will end with the suffix ‘ite’. E.g., iron sulphate and iron sulphite.

Facts about Antoine Lavoisier:

Here are some of the lesser-known facts about Antoine Lavoisier:

1. Lavoisier is one of the 52 eminent French scientists whose names are inscribed on the Eiffel Tower.
2. Lavoisier got a law degree and was even admitted to the bar, but he never practised as a lawyer. His father had encouraged him to become a lawyer and claimed that science was just a hobby.
3. Lavoisier was a great social reformer and conducted a lot of research to benefit society. E.g.:
4. He wrote an essay on the improvement of urban street lighting,
5. He studied ways to purify the water of the Seine,
6. He studied the health risks related to gunpowder’s effect on air,
7. He also helped in improving the living conditions of the prison, etc
8. Lavoisier suggested that light is also one of the chemical elements
9. Lavoisier invented the Gasometer
10. The French King awarded Lavoisier a gold medal for his work on urban street lighting.
11. Lavoisier’s wife Marie Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier helped him to translate his scientific papers to English.

Conclusion

Lavoisier was elected to the Academy of Sciences at the age of 25. He married Marie Anne Pierrette Paulze on Dec. 16, 1771; he was 28, she was 14. Lavoisier used part of a fortune he had inherited from his mother to buy a share in a private group. This fateful decision would later cost him his life. In 1775, Lavoisier was appointed one of four commissioners of the Gunpowder Commission.

He devoted several hours and one full day a week to experiments in his laboratory. During the Reign of Terror, he was tried and convicted as a principal in the “conspiracy against the people of France”. He was sent to the guillotine that afternoon; his friend Joseph-Louis Lagrange said, “a hundred years may not produce another like it,” and  Antoine Lavoisier’s theory is immortalised to date.