CHE 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Antoine Lavoisier, Phlogiston Theory, Conspiracy Theory
Document Summary
Joseph priestly (~1780) discovered that heating mercury ore (called calx) produced a gas which substantially accelerated the rate of combustion when compared to combustion in normal air. He called this gas dephlogisticated air (dpa) and offered an explanation of its formation and properties consistent with the phlogiston theory. [dpa/ ] + mercury ore [mercury ore/ ] + dpa normal air mercury. Priestly reasoned that because material was constantly being burned in the atmosphere, normal air contained a certain amount of phlogiston. He further reasoned that air that did not contain phlogiston (dpa) would more readily accept the phlogiston from combustible materials in the combustion process. Two years earlier, french chemist antoine lavoisier conducted his own experiments on combustion. On the basis of his careful mass measurements, he became convinced that com- bustion involved a process of synthesis, or building up, and not one of decomposition. 112 g lavoisier"s view: iron + mystery substance iron.
