Lavoisier, << `lah vwah` ZYAY, >> Antoine Laurent (1743-1794), was a French chemist. He is regarded as one of the founders of modern chemistry .
Lavoisier carefully measured the weights of substances involved in chemical reactions . In 1772, he began a series of experiments that demonstrated the nature of combustion (burning). He concluded that combustion results from the rapid chemical union of a flammable material with a newly discovered gas, which he called oxygen . Lavoisier also found that the weight of the products of combustion equals the weight of the reacting ingredients. This observation became known as the law of conservation of mass (or matter). Lavoisier published his findings in his Elementary Treatise on Chemistry (1789), which is considered the first modern textbook on chemistry.
With French astronomer and mathematician Pierre Simon Laplace , Lavoisier conducted experiments on respiration in animals. Their studies demonstrated a similarity between common chemical reactions and the processes that occur in living organisms. These experiments provided the foundation for the science now known as biochemistry . Lavoisier also helped develop a system for naming chemical substances based on their composition. This system is still in use.
Lavoisier was born on Aug. 26, 1743, in Paris. He received an excellent education and developed an interest in all branches of science, especially chemistry. He was elected to the French Academy of Sciences in 1768.
Lavoisier was arrested in 1793 by the leaders of the French Revolution . Many years earlier, he had become a partner in a firm that collected a number of taxes for the government. In spite of his achievements, Lavoisier was found guilty of conspiracy with the enemies of France because of his involvement in tax collection. He was executed by guillotine on May 8, 1794.
