His head was cut off with a guillotine knife. The only thing they forgot to accuse him of was the deal with the Devil and flights to the Sabbath of witches and sorcerers.
A person tends to forget some of the events of his life. Only career ups or dramatic downs are remembered. But the documents retain all the details and, if they fall into the hands of ill-wishers in turbulent times, an insignificant episode of the biography can play a fatal role in fate.
Childhood
Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier was born in August 1743 in Paris. His father was rich and respected. He was one of 400 lawyers in the Paris Parliament who were trusted to deal with the most important cases. He wanted to see his heir a lawyer.
Studying for the boy began at home. Parents invited the best professors to mentor their child. Daddy asked his son to pay more attention to jurisprudence, but he was interested in natural sciences: botany, astronomy, chemistry, geology. Antoine was sent to Mazarin College, where he could get an education in order to enter the University of Paris. As soon as the time came to decide on a profession, Lavoisier Sr. made a decision, without consulting anyone, - the Faculty of Law.
Choice of profession
Our hero was an exemplary son. He did not argue with the parent. The student managed to master the program in the direction chosen for him and to do what interested him. He attended lectures by famous scientists of his time: botanist Bernard de Jussier, geologist Jean-Etienne Guettard, chemist and pharmacist Guillaume-François Ruel.
In 1764, Lavoisier received a diploma confirming his qualifications in the field of law. The following year, he presented to the Paris Academy of Sciences a work on the improvement of night lighting in the city, which was awarded a gold medal. The father of a talented young man could no longer dictate his will to him. He sent his son, along with university mentors, on research expeditions in search of useful minerals.
Confession
The young scientist was noticed. At the age of 25, Antoine Lavoisier became a member of the Academy of Sciences in Chemistry. In the same 1768 he was given a place in the General ransom. It was a private organization entrusted by the king to collect taxes. Our hero joined the ranks of tax farmers, but did not deal with financial matters. He was more interested in the daughter of one of his colleagues - Maria-Anna-Pierrette Polz. The girl was only 13 years old, but her parents were supporters of early marriage. A new family appeared in 1771.
The new French minister, Anne = Robert-Jacques Turgot, began implementing a program to optimize the country's economy and drew attention to Antoine Lavoisier. In 1775 he invited him to the group of managers of the gunpowder business. Well acquainted with the minerals of the Fatherland, the scientist was able to organize the production of an important product for the army from local raw materials.
Achievements
The circle of interests of our hero was extensive. In addition to inventing a new method for purifying saltpeter, which was the basis of gunpowder, he refuted the theory of the existence of phlogiston - a substance thanks to which combustion is possible. Studying the effect of flame on various materials in various environments, Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier came to the conclusion that oxygen must certainly participate in the process. Contributed to the work and personal life of the scientist - his wife was carried away by chemistry and became his assistant.
For his contemporaries, Lavoisier was primarily a practitioner. He made a contribution to the development of the French manufacture, proposing to bleach fabrics with chlorine. He also owns a number of initiatives to introduce new principles of land cultivation into agriculture. The scientist did not dwell only on the technical side of the matter, he spoke about the need for social protection of workers.
The revolution
Antoine Lavoisier adhered to advanced views, he did not like the fact that the authorities perceive many of his initiatives as literary creativity and was in no hurry to implement them. Our hero was also familiar with unfair taxation procedures. Being a wealthy man and naturally kind, he, as a member of the General Payoff, did not demand that the poor pay the full amount of the debt. The overthrow of the monarchy was perceived positively by him.
The new government invited the great Frenchman to work in the treasury. Lavoisier put things in order there, while not receiving any material reward for his work. When the idea of unifying the measures of weight and length arose, the leaders of the revolution again turned to the scientist. In 1791, the task was completed, and the tireless seeker entered the commission, which received projects of technical innovations from citizens.
Execution
In search of enemies of the Republic, the revolutionaries began looking for former members of the General Ransom. Lavoisier's name was found in the lists of tax farmers. In 1793, the Convention ordered the arrest of the scientist. The tribunal, which considered the cases of counter-revolutionaries, could not find witnesses to the crimes of this honest man. To avoid the anger of the people, rumors had to be spread that the chemist was suspected of poisoning food in warehouses and preparing to steal money from the treasury.
The wife of the accused begged to save his life. He himself appeared in court with his manuscripts and a request to allow him to complete a number of studies. The chairman of the tribunal replied that the people of science had no special merit before him. The unfortunate was awaited by the guillotine. In May 1794, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier was beheaded.
