Traité Élémentaire de Chimie. 2nd ed. Vol. I

1793

Health Sciences Historical Collection QDA L414

Paris: Cuchet

Although Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794) did not discover oxygen, he did name it ‘oxygene’ (1778) – meaning ‘acid maker’. His greatest contribution to chemistry was to show that the processes of combustion and calcination result from the combination with oxygen. This was against contemporary thought by Joseph Priestley and others who advocated the ‘phlogiston’ theory. Lavoisier also introduced precise measurement into the study of chemistry in support of his theories. This illustration shows some of his apparatus for the collection and measurement of gases.