Lavoisier and the Birth of Modern Chemistry

Robert Boyle was educated in alchemy in the mid-1600s, but he published a book called The Skeptical Chemist that attacked alchemy and advocated using the scientific method. He is sometimes called the founder of modern chemistry because of his emphasis on proving a theory before accepting it, but the birth of modern chemistry is usually attributed to Lavoisier. Boyle rejected the 4 classical elements and proposed the modern definition of an element. Boyle s law states that gas volume is proportional to the reciprocal of pressure. 

If the 17th century can be said to usher in modern physics, with Newton as its dominating name, the 18th century is the period when chemistry definitely makes its debut on the scientific scene. There are several important actors here but none that can compare with Lavoisier and his introduction of the antiphlogistic chemistry. His elucidation of the true nature of combustion and the role of oxygen in this process is certainly one of the most revolutionary events in the history of chemistry. At the same time it can be seen as the birth of biochemistry. 

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