lavoisier

noun

1. An·toine Lau·rent [ahn-twan loh-rahn] /ɑ̃ˈtwan loʊˈrɑ̃/, 1743–94, French scientist: pioneer in the field of chemistry.

noun

1. Antoine Laurent (ɑ̃twan lɔrɑ̃). 1743–94, French chemist; one of the founders of modern chemistry. He disproved the phlogiston theory, named oxygen, and discovered its importance in respiration and combustion

See Notes at oxygen Priestley.

1. French chemist who is regarded as one of the founders of modern chemistry. In 1778 he discovered that air consists of a mixture of two gases, which he called oxygen and nitrogen. Lavoisier also discovered the law of conservation of mass and devised the modern method of naming chemical compounds. His wife Marie (1758-1836) assisted him with his laboratory work and translated a number of important chemistry texts.