Show A brief history of chemistry written by W for C the ebaugh mining ph review D 1 continued from last issue adolph wurtz compiled a dictionary of chemistry that is perhaps the best work of its kind in the french language the first volume opens with an outline of the development of the science and the first sentence in that outline is as follows chemistry is a french science founded by lavoisier of immortal memory A pardonable national pride in the man who did so much to place chemistry in the right path may have caused wurtz to make this sweeping statement chemists of other nationalities are inclined to dispute Lavoi right to the title founder of chemistry all are agreed however in saying that his memory should be cherished as long as our science lasts because his genius and unending activity in research resulted in overthrowing the insufficient doctrine of phlogiston and in establishing tab lishing in its place the true explanation of the phenomenon of combus iton antoine laurent lavoisier 1743 1749 resembled cavendish in that he was a man of great wealth and rare scientific ability but unlike cavendish his interest in things pertaining to his fellowmen fel was largely developed take away from his work all that was done in the domain of pure science and there remains more than enough to make the name of a man memorable A strong upholder of the royal academy during the time of the french revolution contributing about two hundred papers to its journal a fermier general of taxes secretary of the national committee of agriculture in which capacity he did much to establish experiment stations and introduce the cultivation ti of the sugar beet and potato a member of the assembly of orleans whose business it was to improve public affairs publicly commended by the ministry for the improvements in gun powder wrought out by his efforts thereby increasing the efficiency fici ency of the armies of france awarded the prize for devising the best system of street lighting could one ask for more fame than this and yet the glory of all the above work is eclipsed by that which gathers around the name of lavoisier the scientist lavoisier enjoyed the benefits of a thorough scientific training neither expense nor effort was spared in giving him all that the schools of the time afforded gifted with a remarkable memory and an intellect of rare clearness he not only absorbed the information given to him but usually turned it over in his mind and brought it forth later in an improved form both pure science and the application of science to everyday life profited by his genius personally the man was tall pleasing in appearance approach able by all not given to exhibitions of conceit milligent dill igent in the affairs of the public and ever willing to devote his energies to the business of the state or the community possessing great power because of his wealth as well as because of his learning his influence for good was felt in all estates from the highest to the lowest men who have attained high positions are invariably surrounded by detractors the motives of these parasites may be jealy ausy envy or a mere anarchistic desire to pull down those that are in power lavoisier was no exception to the rule and the time during which he lived gave his enemies an excellent chance to follow out their designs to the bitter end marat noted in the councils of the revolutionary government had advanced a foolish theory of combustion antoine lavoisier which met with Lavoi contempt marat then became a fierce opponent of the first scientist of france in his efforts for la voi overthrow he was ably seconded by fourcroy a poor chemist who had attained some prominence and by reason of his blind adherence to the peoples cause had been elected to a seat in the national convention lavoisier was wealthy moreover he was a farmer general of taxes and was connected with the commissary department on each of these three counts charges could be brought against him which in the corrupt and abominable judicial system of the time would result in his conviction so lavoisier was charged with or a crime against the public because he possessed property with oppressing the citizens because he was a farmer general of taxes and with adding water to tobacco thereby injuring the citizens could three more senseless indictments he brought against a man of Lavoi character the trial was held on may ath 1794 and lavoisier sentenced in company with other farmers general of taxes to be guillotined guillo tined on the following day to the request that he be allowed a stay of execution for several days in order to permit the completion of some researches the presiding judge replied the republic has no need of sa on may ath the tumbrels ls carried the condemned farmers general to the place where la belle guillotine claimed her daily quota of victims and the fourth head to fall into the basket was that of lavoisier so the citizens of france repaid the man who had spared neither money time nor effort of mind or body in their service the popular reaction of feeling that was bound to follow a period like the reign of terror swept over france about a year later lavoisier was then given a public funeral by the directory and fourcroy of all men in the legislative assembly pronounced the eulogy it was but poor reparation for their hasty action could any better example of the changeableness of popular opinion be presented to us from 1772 to 1775 lavoisier was engaged upon experiments which proved that substances upon burning increase in weight the increase being due to the absorption of something from the air noting that when a metal was regenerated from the by means of charcoal fixed air or as we now call it carbon dioxide was formed he concluded that this fixed air must be caused by the union of some elastic substance with the charcoal in 1774 while visiting paris priestley showed lavoisier the elastic fluid evolved on heating the of mercury oxygen lavoisier appropriated the discovery and in his writings spoke of it without giving priestley due credit this unprincipled action is abou t the only one that can be laid to Lavoi charge within the few years following 1775 came papers by priestley cavendish and dealing with the new air eminently oxygen the composition of water and of air and with the recently discovered oxides of carbon nitrogen etc Lavoi experiments could now be explained but not by the phlogiston theory hydrogen could no longer be considered as identical with phlogiston because it was evolved from a metal by acids and possessed a definite weight this fact did not accord with the statement that the was the metal minus its phlogiston for the said weighed more than did the original metal the discovery that upon burning hydrogen united with oxygen and formed water was the key which in Lavoi hands unlocked the whole secret of combustion in 1783 appeared his memorable paper in which he declared boldly against the doctrine of he established beyond a doubt that one volume of oxygen and al most two volumes of hydrogen united to form water the phenomenon of combustion was now explained as follows A metal upon burning united with the oxygen in the air and formed a or oxide the well known experiment of heating mercury in the presence of air for a long time noting the increase in the weight of the mercury and the decrease in the weight of the air and the subsequent operation of heating the of mercury so formed and thereby obtaining the weight of mercury originally present and a weight of oxygen equal to the decrease in the weight of the air formed a series or experiments which demonstrated without the shadow of a doubt the validity of Lavoi Lavois lers explanation A mistake was made in claiming too much for oxygen Lavo lavoisier isler observed that when the non metals were burned th the e products of combustion possessed more or less acid properties especially when dissolved in water sulphur cai carbon bon and phosphorus may be cited as examples the name oxygen meaning acid former was therefore given to the gas previously known as air eminently or by other equally cum berous terms the statement was made that oxygen was the acidifying acidify ing principle and hence was present in all acids in the light of later investigations especially upon the cyanides cranides cy anides sulphides sulp hides and similar substances this was proven to be untrue in company with Mor veau lavoisier succeeded in revising the nomenclature of the science and gave it many of the names and terms that are used at the present day de 1 voting some attention to the chemistry of carbon compounds he devised methods for their analysis he disproved the theory that heat was an element defined elements with exactness and gave the first first satisfactory proof of the law of the indestructibility of matter can we wonder that wurtz was carried beyond the realm of absolute truth when he came to write about the work of his great f fellow ellow countryman Mor veau Brt hollet fourcroy and in france klaproth rose and others in germany and black thompson dalton and almost all the chemists of britain except priestley and cavendish came over to the views expounded in the new chemistry the reformation of the science e was the work of years and not until about the beginning of the nineteenth century could the theory of Lavol lavoisier sier be said to have won almost universal recognition to be continued |