Antoine+Lavoisier

Eva Ko, Meggan Ye, Phillip Fong



//The Father of Modern Chemistry //





 Antoine Laurent Lavoisier was born on August 26, 1743 in Paris, France. His father was an attorney at the Parlement of Paris, and his mother died when he was merely 5 years old, leaving him a large inheritance. He initially studied chemistry, botany, astronomy, and mathematics at the College Mazarin, then obtained a Bachelor of Law from the University of Paris. He also studied geography under Jean-Étienne Guettard, and later accompanied him on a geographical survey through France.
 * __Personal Information __**

When he was 25, Lavoisier wrote a paper on how to improve streetlights in Paris. The paper earned him a gold medal from the King and at the same time, got him inducted into the Royal Academy of Science. Lavoisier constructed the first geographical map of France in 1768. In the same year, he joined the Ferme Générale (Farmer’s General), an institution that collected taxes and tariffs on behalf of the King. In the 3 years following his entry into the group, he put his scientific activities on hold and focused on the political and economic aspects of his career. However, Lavoisier conducted experiments that proved the widely accepted ‘Conversion of Water to Earth by Evaporation’ theory wrong.

Lavoisier married Marie Ann Pierrette Paulze, then 13, when he was 28 years old. She was the daughter of a lawyer and financier for the Ferme Générale, and over time, they became collaborators in regards to scientific pursuits. Being fluent in French, English, and Latin, Marie Ann Paulze read and translated works by other chemists into English for her husband, and sketched accurate diagrams of Lavoisier’s experimental apparatus to use as references.



Antoine Lavoisier was ready to pursue the career of a lawyer having studied law at the University of Paris from 1761 to 1764. His interest in chemistry was awakened by a teacher, G.F. Rouelle, and from then on, Antoine Lavoisier became engrossed in scientific studies. In 1770, Lavoisier began his famous experiments on combustion, also known as burning. The fruits of his labour resulted in the discovery of the role of air in combustion. He named that part of air “oxygen,” the Greek term for “becoming sharp,” because he claimed acids come from oxygen. He also verified oxygen’s role in both rusting metals and animal and plant respiration. Lavoisier later discovered 'inflammable air,' which he named “hydrogen.” The term comes from the Greek word for “water-former” because when hydrogen is combined with oxygen, it produces dew. These experiments lead to the development of the Oxygen Theory of Combustion, which is the accepted theory in modern chemistry today. Consequently, the then widely circulated Phlogiston Theory, which states that a fire-like element called “phlogiston” is contained within flammable items, was proved wrong and refuted.
 * __COntributions to chemistry __**

In today’s society, it is common knowledge that H2O is water. But it was first stated in 1783 by Lavoisier and P.S. Laplace that water was a compound of hydrogen and oxygen. Lavoisier was a very careful and meticulous man. One of the many things he was noted for was establishing the first versions of the Law of Conservation of Mass. The law states that “In a chemical reaction, matter is neither created nor destroyed.” He first recorded the results of burning phosphorus and sulphur and realized that when elements are burned with large amounts of air, the product weighed more than the reactants. However, he noticed that when he burned the two elements in closed containers, the weight stayed the same. This led to an adjustment in the classification of elements because when lead oxide burned, it decreased in weight.

By 1789, there was a complete reclassification of the elements. The extensive list contained a handful of elements that cannot be broken down further, such as oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, mercury, and zinc.

Years of work, yet Lavoisier was not done. As a rich man involved in various political and economic activities, he could afford to experiment with materials such as diamonds. Under large lenses, he would focus the sun's rays on a diamond and put it under high heat. When the diamond, under such high temperatures, formed only carbon, he discovered that diamond was a crystalline form of carbon.

Lavoisier completed massive amounts of work in his lifetime and was dedicated to the world of chemistry. Even when faced with death, he pleaded for the chance to continue his experiments.



media type="youtube" key="V5T__9VJt_o&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425"
 * Oxygen Facilitates Combustion** -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5T__9VJt_o

media type="youtube" key="dExpJAECSL8&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425"
 * Law of Conservation of Mass** -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dExpJAECSL8

 Antoine Lavoisier wrote a book that is today considered as the first modern chemical textbook. The textbook contained the newest theories of chemistry at the time, clearly stated the Law of Conservation of Mass, and provided evidence that denied the existence of phlogiston.
 * __ INTERESTING FACTS __**

As mentioned earlier, Antoine Lavoisier was part of La Ferme Générale. The Ferme Générale was an organization that collected taxes on behalf of the king, and was generally unpopular among the French lower class. During his appointment to the Ferme Générale, Lavoisier made contributions such as agricultural improvements, bettering social and economic conditions in France. In times of famine, Lavoisier would generously donate portions of his wealth to help people in need. He also displayed a great interest in public health.

In 1775, Lavoisier was made director of the Government General Work to replace another tax farm that had failed to prove satisfactory to France. From his efforts, he greatly increased the quality and quantity of French gunpowder. There was one benefit for him for being appointed to be commissioner of gunpowder, it provided Lavoisier a house and a laboratory in Royal Arsenal as a benefit.

Lavoisier’s basic development of the metric system was in hopes of having a method of measurement to establish weights and measure. By doing so, he could improve the manufacturing of gunpowder. During his life time he was also made a member of the provincial assembly of Orleans in 1787, commissioner of weights and measures in 1790, commissary to the treasury in 1791 and also a member of the committee of agriculture in 1785.

On August 1792, Lavoisier was kicked out of his laboratory at Arsenal because of his relationship with the Ferme Générale. He was branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror by the French Revolutionists. Lavoisier, along with 27 other people from the Ferme Générale, were trialed on May 2, 1794 and condemned to death. Lavoisier asked but was not given a chance to write up the results of a chemical experiment he was conducting. The judge’s response was “The Republic has no need of a genius.” He was guillotined at the Place De La Revolution on May 8, 1794. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif">


 * __Bibliography__ **

__ Encyclopedia __

Alyea, Hubert N. “Lavoisier, Antoine Laurent.” __Collier’s Encyclopedia.__ 1948 ed.

“Antoine Laurent Lavoisier.” __Encyclopedia of World Biography.__ 1998 ed.

__ World Wide Web __

Larson, Philip Gardner. “Antoine Laurent Lavoisier”. __University__ __of Virgina__. <http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~meg3c/classes/tcc313/200Rprojs/lavoisier2/home.html#links>. 2 Oct. 2008 Weisstein, Eric. “Lavoisier, Antoine”. __Wolfram__. <http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Lavoisier.html>. 2 Oct. 2008 __ Wikipedia __. 1 Oct. 2008. MediaWiki. 2 Oct. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Lavoisier>.