FIRST REVOLUTION OF CHEMISTRY: WHAT IT WAS AND CHARACTERS - CHEMISTRY - 2025

The first revolution in chemistry was the transition period between what was known as "mystical alchemy" to modern chemistry, which occurred from 1718 to 1869. During this stage there was a fairly substantial boom in the development of chemical theories, with that phenomena seen as mythical in ancient times were explained.

The main scientist to inspire this movement was Antoine Lavoisier, but the chemical revolution began with the publication of an article by scientist Isaac Newton. In this piece, Newton designated a series of values ​​relative to the chemical elements.

Antoine Lavoisier, revolutionary of chemistry

The chemist Etienne Geoffrey turned Newton's theory into the affinity table, which allowed the scientific community to perform much more accurate experiments.

The table served to more accurately calculate the reactions of the experiments, which opened the doors to many theories and formulas that were developed around the world.

What did it consist of?

Before the beginning of this revolution, chemistry could hardly be considered a science. It was based on a large number of philosophical principles that simply could not be properly defended for lack of scientific basis to do so.

Also, chemistry (which was actually alchemy at the time) was surrounded by a mystical air. The original theory had been proposed by Aristotle, who defined four basic elements on the planet: air, water, fire, and earth.

This theory had only been altered by some medieval alchemists, who created an arcane and esoteric nomenclature system. However, there was another important chemical concept that came to light in the early 18th century: phlogiston.

Phlogiston was a theory developed by a German chemist named Georg Ernst Stahl, which ensured that every component capable of producing an explosive reaction contained fire inside. That hypothetical element was known as phlogiston.

The development of this theory was presented to the French scientist Antoine Lavoisier, who dedicated his early years in the world of chemistry to the study of combustion in the elements.

New theories

Lavoisier began experimenting with elements such as phosphorus and sulfur. The chemical reactions generated by the combustion of these elements could not be explained by phlogiston, so the French began to dispute the veracity of this theory.

Lavoisier's experiments led him to understand that air plays a very important role in the combustion process of the elements.

By taking into account air as a key element of the chemical process, a great step was taken to the world of chemistry to develop the modern theory of combustion.

In 1777 the theory of combustion was proposed, excluding the idea of ​​phlogiston from it. Its author was, precisely, Lavoisier. His theory also led him to develop the concept of oxygen, which he replaced with that of "breathable air" that was previously used.

With oxygen discovered and the new theory of combustion in place, the chemical revolution found itself at one of its highest points of development. As of 1783, the phlogiston theory began to be rejected.

Chemistry

From the discovery of oxygen and the relevance it had in combustion processes, Lavoisier practically laid the foundations for chemistry as a modern science.

Based on the new combustion process, it was possible to determine that the water was composed of oxygen and "flammable air", which today is known as hydrogen.

Lavoisier developed a book - published in 1789 - in which he explained all his theories. This book is considered one of the first modern chemistry texts to have been written in the world.

With this book Lavoisier came to be considered as one of the fathers of this science and the main exponent of the movement known as the "chemical revolution."

Some scientists took a few years to adapt to the new changes, particularly those who still considered the phlogiston theory valid. However, the advances made at the time served as an influence for thousands of scientists.

The chemical revolution is considered to have culminated in the introduction of the periodic table at the end of the 19th century, by the Russian chemist Dimitri Mendeleev.

Important Characters and their contributions

Antoine Lavoisier

Lavoisier is considered the father of modern chemistry, as it was his experiments that set the chemical revolution in motion.

He gave oxygen its name for the first time in the history of science and, thanks to its discoveries, the nomenclature of chemical elements could be systematized.

Lavoisier was the first scientist to establish the law of conservation of mass, a key element in modern chemistry.

His studies on combustion made him discover the importance of air in chemical reactions. In addition, he also worked on the development of studies on gunpowder in Paris, improving its quality substantially.

Joseph priestley

Priestley was an English clergyman and scientist, whose contributions contributed to the development of a large number of fields, such as liberal politics and religious thought in the world. However, the contribution for which he is most remembered is his research in chemistry on the gaseous components of the planet.

In 1772 he began to study the field of chemistry intensively and published six books where he explained the results of his experiments.

Pirestley used the phlogiston theory to explain the existence of the three types of gases known to that time (air, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide).

His discovery revolutionized the world of chemistry and gave Lavoisier a key tool for naming oxygen.

Henry Cavendish

Cavendish was a British chemist, considered one of the most important experimental theorists in the history of England.

He developed with great precision a number of theories regarding the composition of air in the atmosphere and defined the properties of various gases present in the environment.

In addition, he contributed knowledge to the understanding of the synthesis of water and managed to identify, for the first time, hydrogen as a gas.

References

1. The Chemical Revolution of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, Académie des Sciences de l'Institut de France, 1999. Taken from acs.org
2. Chemical Revolution, Encyclopedia of Human Thermodynamics, (nd). Taken from eoht.info
3. The Chemical Revolution, CE Perrin, (nd). Taken from tau.ac
4. Henry Cavendish, Famous Scientists, (nd). Taken from famousscientists.org
5. Joseph Priestley, JG McEvoy for Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018. Taken from Britannica.com
6. Antoine Lavoisier, Science History, (nd). Taken from sciencehistory.org