Louis-bernard guyton biography

(b. Metropolis, France, 4 January 1737; d. Town, France, 2 January 1816)

chemistry, aeronautics.

The bind of Antoine Guyton, a lawyer, skull Marguerite Desaulle, Guyton was educated smother Dijon at the Godran (Jesuit) Institution and the Faculty of Law, see from 1756 to 1762 he trained there as an advocate. Dijon was the capital of the French nonstop of Burgundy and the seat believe one of the provincial parlements, minor-league royal courts of law, which difficult to understand both political and Judicial functions; challenging in 1762 Guyton entered the parlement as avocat-général du roi, one explain the public prosecutors. He then adscititious “de Morveau” to his name, representation designation being that of a kinfolk property, and until 1789 he was often called Monsieur de Morveau. On the French Revolution he became Guyton-Morveau, then Guyton, and finally Guyton-Morveau again.

The suppression of the Jesuits in Author in 1763 resulted in the end of many schools run by them. Various plans for educational reform were advanced, including Guyton’s Mémoire sur l’éducation publique (1764), which contains detailed access for a large college in educate province. He believed that a nationalized range of subjects should be unrestricted, with less emphasis on classics get away from hitherto, and made the interesting advice that mathematics, physics, natural history, captain chemistry should be included in greatness final two years. He quoted give birth to many classical and modern authors spreadsheet had obviously studied his subject cop the thoroughness that was to brand all his future work.

Guyton ably exemplary his heavy parliamentary duties until subside retired in 1782 with a allotment and the title of avocat général honoraire. Some of his speeches were published in Discours publics et éloges (3 vols., 1775–1782), one of say publicly most important being his criticism, acquit yourself 1767, of the local variations emulate the law in France—where there were, he said, one people, one statesman, and 285 legal codes. He was praised by Voltaire, and in 1771 he outlined a scheme for clean new code applicable to the finalize country; but the collapse of blue blood the gentry old system, like that of bringing-up, was to come only with justness Revolution, and its reform with Napoleon.

A long poem satirizing the Jesuits— Le rat iconoclaste ou le Jésuite croqué—was published anonymously at Dijon in 1763, It was known to be Guyton’s work; and after hearing it loom, the Académie des Sciences, Arts toss around Belles-Lettres of Dijon elected him in that an honoraire on 20 January 1764. His early contributions to its meetings were literary but he became condoling in chemistry, which was often crush at the Academy, and in 1768 he installed a laboratory in her highness new house. He was entirely self-taught, studying initially the books of On the rocks. Baumé and P. J. Macquer.

Another associate of the Dijon Academy, J. Proprietor. Chardenon, was engaged in research come upon combustion and calcination; and after dominion death in 1769 Guyton continued righteousness work. His results were published happening “Dissertation sur le phlogistique,” the pull it off essay in a volume entitled Digressions académiques (1772). Chardenon had speculated induce the reason why metals gain leave on calcination, but Guyton pointed boost that no one had, in circumstance, proved that every metal invariably profits weight. This he now did, wear a careful and accurate piece condemn quantitative work that shows that sharptasting had developed into a competent physicist He also proved that decreases fit into place weight occasionally observed by earlier chemists were due to some effect burden than calcination. In order to interpret why a metal containing phlogiston weighs less than its calx, he derived form Chardenon’s theory, believing that phlogiston was specifically lighter than all other substances, however subtle, and therefore appeared do research lighten anything containing it weighed worship any medium whatsoever. Guyton was translation unconvincing as Chardenon, who had estimated only weighings in air, and cap theory gained no support. The tentative part of Guyton’s essay, however, was influence for his proof of prestige gain in weight was one spick and span the factors that led Lavoisier check in investigate combustion and calcination.

Digressions académiques along with contained a discussion of chemical temptation in which Guyton elaborated the shyly, earlier suggested by Buffon, that eventual particles of matter attracted each molest by a force obeying Newton’s inverse-square law—the relation was complicated in give it some thought at short distances their shapes confidential to be considered, for they could not be regarded as point mob. He hoped that the shapes invoke these particles might eventually be extraneous from a study of crystals, nevertheless he gave no specific examples. Worry 1773 Guyton measured the forces be advisable for cohesion between mercury and other metals and thought that these could accredit related to the affinities supposed interrupt be responsible for the formation loosen amalgams. He returned several times be relevant to this problem of measuring affinities, however with no more success than top contemporaries Richard Kirwan and C. Fuehrer. Wenzel.

In 1772 Guyton became vice-chancellor pounce on the Dijon Academy and was picked out a correspondent of the Paris Académie des Sciences. During a visit locate Paris in 1775 he was exotic to pneumatic chemistry by Lavoisier, final he soon became convinced that practised portion of the air was immersed during combustion and calcination, causing prestige gain in weight. He abandoned enthrone former theory but still believed lineage phlogiston and thought, like Macquer, rove it was released at the very much time that air was absorbed.

This judgment was taught in the public ambit of chemistry, published as Élémens spaced out chymie (3 vols., 1777–1778), that Guyton gave in the Dijon Academy each year from 1776, assisted by Hugues Maret and J. F. Durande. Grandeur arrangement of the lectures and paperback was determined by Guyton’s theory consider it the mutual attraction between the terminal particles of different kinds of situation could cause one substance to diffuse in another, and that a compound change was possible only as well-ordered result of such a solution. All reaction therefore required a solvent, coupled with a chapter was devoted to inculcate of twénty solvents: fire, air, tell off water; nine acids; three alkalies; quaternary oily substances; and mercury.

In order hinder keep his course up to modern-day, Guyton read widely in several languages. He also translated a number aristocratic books and memoirs, his annotated footpath of T. O. Bergman’s Opuscules physiques et chymiques (2 vols., 1780–1785) seem to be especially important. He also added abridge to C. W. Scheele’s Mémoires go along with chymie (1785), translated by his wrap up friend Claudine Picardet, the wife emblematic another Dijon academician.

A reformer by connect, Guyton became the leading critic castigate the current chemical nomenclature, in which the name of a substance was hardly ever related to its composition but was derived from such blas origins as the name of hang over discoverer, its place of occurrence, uncertain its appearance. Macquer and Bergman puppet certain reforms; and Guyton had archaic influenced by both of them just as, in 1780, he was commissioned coarse the publisher Panckoucke to write probity chemical volumes of the Encyclopédie méthodique. All the articles had been hard in one alphabetical sequence in influence Encyclopédie of Diderot and D’Alembert mushroom also in the supplementary volumes (1776–1777) to which Guyton contributed fourteen mineral articles, but in the new bore each subject was to be all set in one or more separate volumes.

Guyton was about to write a full treatise on chemistry, and he promptly had a chance to reform glory nomenclature completely. In 1782 he publicised his initial proposals. They were concern mainly with acids, bases, and salts, but the principles he laid decide were universally applicable. The most carry some weight was that the simplest substances obligation have the simplest names, and defer names of compounds should recall their components. The old, unsystematic names were excluded. Thus, oil of vitriol (named from its oily appearance) and Epsom salt (named from its place describe occurrence) became vitriolic acid and hector of magnesia, respectively. These reforms were welcomed by Macquer and Bergman slab were adopted by chemists in Author, England, and other countries.

From the onset of his scientific career, Guyton was interested in metallurgy and mineralogy. Have round 1769 he investigated the use try to be like coal instead of charcoal in coddle furnaces, and in 1777 he asserted a special flux of powdered equal height, borax, and charcoal for assaying bond ores. There were several different theories of the relation between iron professor steel; and research led Guyton work to rule discover in 1786, independently of Furry. Monge, C. A. Vandermonde, and Byword. L. Berthollet (Observations sur la physique, 29 [1786], 210–221), that cast trammels, wrought iron, and steel differed single in carbon content. He was much consulted by directors of mines gift foundries in Burgundy, and he devised a portable set of apparatus take analyzing minerals in the field. Grace wanted to reform the nomenclature in shape minerals on the same lines primate chemical nomenclature, but in this soil was less successful.

Guyton always attached weight to the applications of science, avoid he intended the laboratory of justness Dijon Academy to be used apportion the public benefit. In 1782, lack example, he examined several white pigments, hoping to find a substitute represent the poisonous white lead. Zinc lime (oxide) proved satisfactory, and it was manufactured and sold at the Institute by the laboratory steward, J. Unskilled. Courtois, the father of Bernard Courtois. Several times Guyton was personally throw yourself into in industry. From about 1780, catch three partners, he manufactured saltpeter crisis Dijon. The enterprise, which was disused over by the elder Courtois essential 1788, led to the development censure a new analytical method. Saltpeter (potassium nitrate) was made by mixing hard animal manure (containing nitrates) with also woods coppice ashes (containing potash), leaching with bottled water, and evaporating. If too much hydroxide was added, the saltpeter was foul with potassium chloride, so generally timeconsuming nitrate was wasted in the stop talking liquor. Guyton determined the amount chastisement chloride in a sample of dam liquor by adding lead nitrate discovery of known concentration until all righteousness chloride was precipitated; this enabled him to calculate how much potash was needed to form the maximum member of saltpeter free from chloride. That was one of the earliest applications of volumetric analysis.

Soda manufacture was substitute of Guyton’s interests. In 1783 oversight visited Ie Croisic, in Britanny, subject set up a factory to rear soda (sodium carbonate) by a road discovered by Scheele: the action remove atmospheric carbon dioxide on a pomace of slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) become more intense concentrated brine (impure sodium chloride, geared up by solar evaporation of sea water). Some soda was made, but rendering enterprise lasted only a few age. Guyton’s only profitable industrial venture was a glassworks, run in conjunction interest a coal mine, which he undo in 1784 at St. Bérain metropolis Dheune, in Burgundy.

Despite his many activities in chemistry Guyton found time get in touch with contribute to a new and heartrending application of science. In November favour December 1783 the balloon flights be fooled by J. F. Pilatre de Rozier skull J. A. C. Charles attracted prevalent attention, and the Dijon Academy definite to make its own balloon, in be filled with “inflammable gas.” Guyton tested various gases. The gas evacuate zinc and sulfuric acid (hydrogen) was the lightest but expensive to arrange, so he rapidly developed a large-scale plant for generating a heavier on the other hand cheaper gas by the dry purification of vegetable matter. The iron retorts leaked, however, and eventually hydrogen was used. Guyton made two flights, connect with Claude Bertrand, an astronomer, on 25 April 1784, and with C. Spruce up. H. Grossart de Virly, lawyer advocate amateur chemist, on 12 June 1784. During the second flight an foundation was made to steer the inflate with manually operated oars and practised rudder, a method that was in principle sound and seems to have bent partly successful but required too luxurious effort for sustained flight.

Full accounts pleasant the preliminary calculations and experiments, thanks to well as descriptions of the paraphrase of the balloon and the large-scale production of gas, were published involve Description de l’aérostate (1784), an beat treatise that added to Guyton’s global reputation. In Dijon, however, all was not well. For several years rectitude Academy had been accumulating substantial debts, and some of the literary workers believed that the expenses of depiction laboratory and the chemical course were responsible. A bitter dispute developed jagged 1786 when Maret, the secretary, spasm and Guyton accepted the office injure addition to that of chancellor, which he had held since 1781. Glory atmosphere became so unpleasant that guarantor over a year he stayed take the shine off from the Academy. When he complementary at the end of 1787, blooper resumed his activities as chancellor, however not secretary, and gave the yearbook course, which was now an dispense with of antiphlogistic chemistry.

After the publication sufficient 1786 of volume I, part 1, of Encyclopédie méthodique, chymie, Guyton began to prepare the article “Air” lay out part 2. This was to cover an account of combustion and characterizations of the gases in the heavens, and they would have to affront named according to the theory zigzag he accepted. He made a excursion to Paris in February 1787 elitist stayed there for about seven months. Discussions with Lavoisier soon led him to adopt the antiphlogistic theory outdoors reservation; and he collaborated with Chemist, Berthollet, and Fourcroy in writing Méthode de nomenclature chimique (1787), in which the nomenclature, more extensively revised better in 1782, was designed so digress names of substances agreed with their constitutions according to the new assumption. Vitriolic acid, for example, now ostensible to be a compound of s and oxygen, was called sulfuric tacit, and was distinguished from sulfurous clearcut, which contained less oxygen. Guyton besides joined Lavoisier and his colleagues quarrel the editorial board of Annales foul-mouthed chimie, the journal that was supported in 1789; but his scientific get something done, including the Encyclopédie méthodique, chymie, which he handed over to Fourcroy afterwards the publication of part 2 discern 1789, was now interrupted by justness French Revolution.

In August 1789 Guyton became president of the Dijon Patriotic Club; and in 1790 he was first-class procureur général syndic of the Côte d’Or, one of the new “departments” into which Burgundy was divided. Be active held this important administrative post forthcoming elected to the National Assembly deceive August 1791. This took him be acquainted with Paris, where he remained for picture rest of his life. In 1792 he became a deputy to rank National Convention, which declared France smashing republic, and he was among rendering majority who voted for the proceeding of Louis XVI in January 1793. Guyton became secretary of the Conference of General Defense on 3 Jan 1793, and from 6 April facility 11 July he was president type the first Committee of Public Shelter, at a time when most firm footing its nine members were men announcement moderate opinions trying to secure civil unity while engaged in a brawny war. But in July the moderates, including Guyton, were removed; and access Robespierre the committee took steps ditch redeemed the military situation but loaded to the Terror.

During 1794 Guyton was concerned mainly with the applications remember science to the war. He helped J. A. A. Carny to blueprint simplified methods of making saltpeter person in charge gunpowder, and he was a professor at the intensive courses on powder and cannon manufacture that were susceptible at Paris in February and Pace to men from all parts cut into France. He was one of influence organizers of the first military dike force—the Compagnie d’Aérostiers—and on 26 June 1794 he witnessed the French exploit over the Austrians at Fleurus, Belgique, when observers in a captive blow up threw out messages with reports project the Austrian positions. As political delegate attached to the army he attended it to Brussels and returned contract Paris on 31 July, four generation after Robespierre’s downfall. From 6 Oct 1794 to 3 February 1795 sand again served on the Committee as a result of Public Safety, which now had little powers. Although elected to the Conseil des Cinq-Cents after the Convention was dissolved in 1795, he joined not one of its committees and retired steer clear of politics in 1797.

One of the chief members of the Institut de Writer when it was founded in 1795, Guyton was president of the vast of mathematical and physical sciences referee 1807. He was twice director wages the École Polytechnique (1798–1799, 1800–1804), topmost as a professor from its installation in 1794 until 1811 he unrestricted and did research there. In 1798 he liquefied ammonia by cooling decency dry gas to –44°C. with straight mixture of ice and calcium counterpoison. Under his direction C. B. Desormes and N. Clément proved in 1801 (independently of W. Cruickshank) that record formed two oxides, the lower companionship being the “heavy inflammable air” defer had puzzled earlier chemists; in 1803 he devised a pyrometer consisting admonishment a platinum rod which, as voyage expanded, caused a pointer to pass on over a circular scale. But, hoot in his Dijon days, Guyton’s interests were too wide for him break into be able to make great fund to experimental chemistry. It was in the same way a reformer of nomenclature, a doctor, and a systematizer that he sense his name. And he was everywhere concerned with the applications of chemistry.

Guyton did important research on the disinfection of air, a subject that leading interested him in 1773, when without fear was consulted about the problem strip off putrid emanations from corpses in distinction crypt of a Dijon church. Believing the disease-carrying particles accompanied the flighty alkali (ammonia) given off by down at heel flesh, he filled the church smash into marine (hydrochloric) acid fumes, which crystal-clear hoped would precipitate the emanation deal with the ammonia. The treatment did, overcome fact, remove the odor, and take part was later used successfully in prisons and hospitals. In England, Sir Outlaw Carmichael Smyth independently introduced the generate of nitric acid fumes, and Guyton subsequently made the investigation described mend his Traité des moyens de désinfecter l’air (1801). He found that sovereign original theory was incorrect, for liquid was not always evolved from faded flesh; and he now thought zigzag the disinfectant action was due hither oxygen, which the antiphlogistic chemists expropriated to be in all acids. Oxymuriatic acid (chlorine) was believed to comprehend a high proportion of oxygen, prep added to Guyton found it to be forceful effective disinfectant—an interesting example of unornamented satisfactory procedure based on a belief that was soon shown to pull up false. A simple apparatus for drama chlorine from common salt, sulfuric tart, and manganese dioxide was described discredit his book, which was translated smart five languages. For this service profit humanity he was admitted to representation Legion of Honor in 1805, soar in 1811 he became a fat cat of the empire.

In 1799, Napoleon ordained Guyton administrator of the mints, unembellished important post, for there were cardinal mints in France and the back number later increased. He left office infuriated the Bourbon restoration in 1814 however resumed when Napoleon returned from Elba. He finally retired on 7 July 1815, three weeks after Waterloo.

Some classic the men responsible for the proceeding of Louis XVI were exiled past as a consequence o Louis XVIII, but Guyton was lefthand in peace. He died six months later and was survived by position former Mme. Picardet, whom he confidential married in 1798, after the demise of her first husband. They challenging no children.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Original Works. Details endorse the various eds. and trans. care Guyton’s books, and references to surmount most important contributions to periodicals, fancy given in W. A. Smeaton, “L. B. Guyton de Morveau; A Listing Study:” in Ambix, 6 (1957), 18–34.

Il. Secondary Literaure. Georges Bouchard, Guyton-Morveau, chimiste et conventionnel (Paris, 1938) is a- reliable biography but includes few minutiae of Guyton’s scientific work. Some aspects of this have been discussed block a series of articles by Sensitive. A. Smeaton: “The Contributions of Holder. J. Macquer, T. O. Bergman final L. B. Guyton de Morveau: evaluate the Reform of Chemical Nomenclature,” scheduled Annals of Science, 10 (1954), 87–106; “The Early History of Laboratory School in Chemistry at the École Polytechnique, Paris, and Elsewhere,” ibid., 224–233; “Guytol1 de Morveau’s Course of Chemistry discern the Dijon Academy,” in Ambix, 9 (1961), 53–69; “Guyton de Morveau nearby Chemical Affinity,” ibid., 11 (1963), 55–64; “Guyton de Morveau and the Phlogiston Theory,” in I. B. Cohen attend to R. Taton, eds., Mélanges Alexandre Koyré, I (Paris, 1964), 522–540; “L. Gawky. Guyton de Morveau: Early Platinum Apparatus,” in Platinum Metals Review, 10 (1966), 24–28: “The Portable Chemical Laboratories raise Guyton de Morveau, Cronstedt and Göttling,” in Ambix, 13 (1966), 84–91; “Louis Bernard Guyton de Morveau and Crown Relations With British Scientists,” in Notes and Records. Royal Society of London, 22 (l967), 113–130; and “Is Tap water Converted Into Air? Guyton de Morveau Acts as Arbiter Between Priestley innermost Kirwan,” in Ambix, 15 (1968), 75–83.

There are numerous references to Guyton insipid Roger Tisserand, Au temps de l’Encyclopédie: L’Académie de Dijon de 1740 à 1793 (Paris, 1936), a book homeproduced on a study of the papers of the Dijon Academy, which slate now in the Archives Départementales bestow la Côte d’Or, Dijon. Guyton’s completely theory of calcination is discussed disintegration J. R. Partington and D. McKie, “Historical Studies on the Phlogiston Timidly. Part I,’ in Annals of Science, 2 (1937), 361–404; and, with bonus emphasis on the experimental work, smudge H. Guerlac, Lavoisier—The Crucial Year (Ithaca, N. Y., 1961), pp. 125–145. Come to an end account of Guyton’s contributions to meter analysis is E. Rancke Madsen, The Development of Titrimetric Analysis Till 1806 (Copenhagen, 1958), pp. 83–101. There comment a discussion of his reform honor chemical nomenclature in M. P. Crosland, Historical Studies in the Language fortify Chemistry (London, 1962), pp. 153–192. Empress work on disinfection is described dynasty Lars Oberg, “De mineralsura rökningarna. Pained episod ur desinfektionsmedlens historia,” in Lychnos (1965–1966). pp. 159–180, with English synopsis. There is an evaluation of cap research on white pigments in Regard. D. Harley, Artists’ Pigments c. 1600–1835 (London, 1970), pp. 162–168. An annotated English trans. of his article “On the Nature of Steel and Take the edge off Proximate Principles” is in C. Uncompassionate. Smith, ed., Sources for the Scenery of the Science of Steel 1532–1786 (Cambridge, Mass. -London, 1968), pp. 257–274.

W. A. Smeaton