Fire, Water, and Air: The Story of Antoine Lavoisier
Antoine Lavoisier was born into a wealthy French family in the eighteenth century, and he planned to become lawyer, like his father. But his curiosity led him to study science, and eventually, he chose to pursue chemistry as his career. Applying his keen intellect and a devotion to experimentation and balance, Lavoisier helped revolutionize chemistry, disproving old theories and rewriting the language of chemistry to make it clearer and more accessible.\ Lavoisier led a happy life, spending...
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Chapter 1 Early Life 11\ Chapter 2 Early Science 21\ Chapter 3 Water, Fire, and Air 35\ Chapter 4 The Oxygen Theory 50\ Chapter 5 Government Work 63\ Chapter 6 Attack on Phlogiston 78\ Chapter 7 The Language of Chemistry 91\ Chapter 8 The French Revolution 106\ Chapter 9 Legacy 123\ Timeline 133\ Sources 135\ Bibliography 141\ Web sites 142\ Index 143
\ Children's Literature - Barbara L. Talcroft\ From the series "Profiles in Science," this biography explores the life of the famous 18th century chemist who aspired to be a public servant, but ended his life on the guillotine during the French Revolution. Lavoisier's accomplishments were many, and not only in chemistry: he became an inspector of gunpowder, started an experimental farm, advocated cleaner hospitals and prisons, and, as a "tax farmer," planned elaborate customs walls to enclose Paris. In his chosen field, Lavoisier renamed oxygen and several other elements, studied combustion, revised the nomenclature for elements and compounds, and published a revolutionary chemistry textbook based on his findings. On top of all this, he had a happy marriage with an amazing young woman who was able to help him in his work. The story of his downfall is especially poignant. Unfortunately, Baxter's writing is stiff and awkward, sometimes repetitious; young adults interested in chemistry could surely handle a more sophisticated style. French apparently presents an obstacle for the author since many names are misspelled— Mazarin, Quatre, Conciergerie, and Madeleine, to name a few. History buffs will spot mistakes; for example, Louis XV was not the son of Louis XIV, nor was Louis XVI the son of Louis XV. The illustrations, while abundant and interesting, are often unattractively juxtaposed on the pages, sometimes without attribution of artist or date. This book was reviewed from an uncorrected proof; one can only hope that readers of the final copies will find these shortcomings remedied. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft\ \
