Table Of ContentAntoine
Lavoisier
Founder of Modern Chemistry
Science
ReadeRS
Physical Science
Lynn Van Gorp
TCM 10582
Quality Resources for Every Classroom
Instant Delivery 24 Hours a Day
Thank you for purchasing the following e-book
–another quality product from Teacher Created Materials Publishing
For more information or to purchase additional books and materials, please visit our website at:
www.tcmpub.com
For further information about our products and services, please e-mail us at:
[email protected]
To receive special offers via e-mail, please join our mailing list at:
www.tcmpub.com/emailOffers
5301 Oceanus Drive Huntington Beach, CA 92649-1030 800.858.7339 FAX 714.230.7070 www.tcmpub.com
Antoine
Lavoisier
Founder of Modern Chemistry
Lynn Van Gorp, M.S.
Table of Contents
Physical Science Readers:
Antoine Lavoisier:
Changing Science ..................................................................4
Founder of Modern In the Beginning ...................................................................6
Chemistry Scientist and Freethinker ...................................................10
Important Work ..................................................................14
Trying to Make a Difference .............................................20
Death by Guillotine ............................................................24
Publishing Credits
Editorial Director Creative Director
Chemist: Marye Anne Fox ................................................26
Dona Herweck Rice Lee Aucoin
Associate Editor Illustration Manager
Joshua BishopRoby Timothy J. Bradley Appendices ..........................................................................28
Editor-in-Chief Publisher
Sharon Coan, M.S.Ed. Rachelle Cracchiolo, M.S.Ed Lab: Mixing Compounds to Make a Ball ..........28
Glossary .................................................................30
Science Contributor
Sally Ride Science
Index ......................................................................31
Science Consultants
Michael E. Kopecky, Sally Ride Science ................................................32
Science Department Chair,
Chino Hills High School
Image Credits .......................................................32
Jane Weir, MPhys
Teacher Created Materials Publishing
5301 Oceanus Drive
Huntington Beach, CA 92649-1030
http://www.tcmpub.com
ISBN 978-0-7439-0582-4
© 2007 Teacher Created Materials Publishing
2 3
Changing Science
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier Chemistry
(ahn-TWAN loh-RAHN la- Chemistry is the science that
vwah-ZYAY) is considered the deals with the structure,
composition, and properties of
“Founder of Modern Chemistry.”
substances. All substances in the
Many scientists are remembered
universe are made of matter.
for their research. Lavoisier is
The building blocks of matter are
not. He is most remembered atoms. Atoms combine to make
for the way he changed how Magic molecules. When a substance
is made of all the same kind of
scientists study science. Many alchemists were
atoms, it is called an element.
thought to be sorcerers
Lavoisier lived in France in Matter, all of its parts, how it
or wizards.
behaves, and how it is made
the 1700s. People then believed
are all part of chemistry. They
in alchemy (AL-kuh-mee). It
are the basic things studied and
was an early type of science.
researched by a chemist.
Alchemists did not use the
scientific method. The scientific
method is a careful, step-by-step
process for proving or disproving
something. Alchemists, on
the other hand, looked at
things such as star patterns
and old ideas from ancient
philosophers. The
Antoine A model of a molecule
alchemists thought they
Laurent
Lavoisier could make gold from
other metals like lead.
This wasn’t true. Many
people believed them,
anyway.
The cover page of
Lavoisier’s book
4 5
In the Beginning
Paris in the 1740s was alive with music, art, and culture.
New ideas were happening in science and math. The world was
an exciting place. That is, it was alive and exciting for the upper
classes. Conditions for the poor were very bad.
For the poor, there were high taxes, filthy living conditions,
and terrible health care. Many people who were not among the
upper classes were unhappy.
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier was born in Paris, France, on
August 26, 1743. His family was very wealthy. His father was a
well-known lawyer. His mother was the daughter of a judge in
the French Parliament. The parliament is a group of leaders who
make laws for a country. The family lived a rich and happy life.
Poor French washerwomen
Sadly, Lavoisier’s mother died when he was very young.
His aunt looked after him and his sister. She dedicated her life
to them. The Court of Versailles enjoying an outing
7
Lavoisier’s aunt wanted him to have a good Marie Curie
education. She did all she could to make that happen.
(1867–1934)
When he was 11 years old, he was sent to one of the
best schools in France. He was a hard worker. He Marie Curie knew the importance
received many awards for being a good student. of education, too. She was born in
Poland in 1867. She shared her love
In 1764, he became a lawyer. He seemed to be
of physics with her father. He worked
following his father’s footsteps. His success as a lawyer
as a high school physics teacher. In
was growing. The problem was that he loved science.
1891, she went to Paris. She studied
He loved science more than the law.
at a famous French university. Two
He decided to dedicate his life to science instead. years later, she finished at the top of
First, he studied earth science, called geology (jee-OL- her class.
uh-jee). Then, he wrote and published a paper on how
She became a famous chemist in
to improve the lighting in Paris. His early science work
the field of radiology. She and her
got him elected to the Royal Academy of Science in
husband received the Nobel Prize
1768. This was an honor for so young a person.
in 1903. Marie Curie was the first
Lavoisier wanted to spend all of his time working woman to win that award. In 1911,
as a scientist. However, he needed money to pay she received a second Nobel Prize.
for his equipment and supplies. He worked as a tax
collector during the day. This money made it possible
Lavoisier working on an experiment
for him to work at night on his research. to find the elements of water
Scientific instruments of the time showing Lavoisier’s oxygen experiment.
8 9
Scientist and Freethinker
Pierre Curie
(1867-1906)
Pierre Curie was a chemist born
in Paris. He was married to Marie
Curie. The two worked together just
as the Lavoisiers had before them.
The Curies studied radioactive
(ray-dee-oh-AK-tiv) materials.
Pierre experimented with radium
(RAY-dee-uhm) on himself. He also
kept a sample of it in his pocket. He
had no idea that the radium was so
harmful. He became frail and was in
constant pain. Sadly, he was killed
This is Lavoisier with his wife Marie-Anne. An air pump is shown on the table.
in a road accident 1906. His wife
Lavoisier married Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze (muh-REE-
continued their work on her own.
AN pee-uh-RET pawl-ZEY). She was the daughter of another
The Curies’ work was so
member of the tax collection company where he worked. She was
dangerous that the notebooks they
just 13 when they married in 1771. It was common for women to
used are still radioactive. Before
marry young then. She began to work with Lavoisier. She helped
scientists can look at them, they
him with his experiments. She drew detailed pictures and recorded
must sign a paper saying they know
the results. She prepared them to be published. She also learned
the notebooks are harmful.
to read English, which Lavoisier could not do. This helped him to
study the work of English scientists.
In 1775, Lavoisier began working for the National Gunpowder
Commission. This allowed him to create an excellent lab for his Pierre and Marie Curie
experiments. His lab and his home also became important places
for scientists to gather.
10 11
Lavoisier also shared his
political views with those who
came to his home and lab.
Many freethinkers were drawn
there. In France, there was a
growing unease. People did
Linus Pauling
not feel the same support for
the government that they had (1901–1994)
in the past. Many people were
One of the most important
very poor and unhappy. They
chemists of modern times was Linus
thought the country’s leaders
Pauling (LIE-nuhs PAW-ling). In
were unfair. People who
1954, he was awarded the Nobel Prize
came to Lavoisier’s home and
in chemistry. His work described the
Lavoisier invented this solar furnace to focus the sun’s rays to heat his experiments. lab talked about science and
nature of the chemical bond. That is
politics. Lavoisier believed that
the force that holds atoms together
France needed to be reformed.
in molecules. In 1962, Pauling was
Lavoisier was famous for his hard work in the lab. He He joined a committee that was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He
was very careful with his experiments. He took accurate organized to make a difference.
worked to keep dangerous nuclear
measurements. Lavoisier protected his findings until he was The committee proposed new
tests safe underground.
finished with each project. Once finished, he was happy to taxes. It suggested changes for
share them. hospitals and prisons. Here is a fun fact about Linus
Pauling. His good friend was the
Lavoisier also studied other scientists’ work. At the time, Lavoisier and his friends on
cartoonist Charles Schulz. Schulz is
some people thought he was stealing. When he started with the committee tried to change
famous for his Peanuts comic strip.
what other scientists learned, though, Lavoisier was able to conditions in France to make
He named Charlie Brown’s friend
learn new things. Reading other scientists’ work became a new life easier. Not many things
Linus after his own friend, Linus
standard for scientists. Today it is an important part of science. changed, though. The country
Pauling.
was headed for revolution.
12 13
Important Work
During his life as a scientist, Lavoisier Dorothy
did some important new work. The work
Crowfoot Hodgkin
and how he did it changed chemistry forever.
(1910–1994)
Law of Conservation
In 1964, Dorothy Hodgkin won
of Mass
the Nobel Prize in chemistry. She
used X-ray crystallography (kris-
In chemistry, a chemical reaction
tuhl-OG-ruh-fee) to see the shape of
happens when one or more elements react
certain substances. Crystallography
and turn into a new substance (the product).
is a branch of science that deals with
Remember that elements are made of the
how crystals are made and how they
same atom. They are pure. To be a reaction,
behave. A crystal is a special kind of
the elements must act together and a
mineral. Its molecules all line up in a
chemical change must happen. For example,
regular pattern.
oxygen and iron are elements. When they
This gives
come together, there is a reaction. They
the crystal
become rust.
a sharply
Lavoisier measured the mass of each defined
substance before it reacted. Mass is the shape.
amount of matter a substance has. Then,
he measured the mass of new substances
after the reaction. He proved that matter is
Lavoisier proved that
never lost or gained. Even when something
metal weighs more when
new is made, mass stays the same. He called
it rusts. He also identified
this law Conservation (kon-ser-VAY-shuhn)
the element oxygen that
Night Owl
of Mass. To be conserved is to remain the combines with iron to
same. Matter can change its state, but its Lavoisier did most of his create rust. The added
research at night. During oxygen makes the iron
mass stays the same.
the day, he worked at his weigh more.
other jobs.
14 15
