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Chapter 161: Advances in Chemistry
🕑 Added 2024-12-26 22:36:41 +0000 UTCChapter 161: Advances in Chemistry
Madame Lavoisier immediately smiled and nodded, saying, "Your Highness, I would be more than happy to help if you need me."
Joseph was a bit surprised by how highly Lavoisier regarded his wife, but he expressed his gratitude nonetheless. "It's wonderful that you can assist us."
Lavoisier continued, "Your Highness, though Marianne has never attended university, you can absolutely trust her skills in the lab. In fact, she has been managing my laboratory for years.
"I usually go in to set up the experiment plans, but for the actual lab work, she is often more efficient than I am."
Joseph learned that after marrying Lavoisier, Madame Lavoisier had closely studied chemistry with him and had become his unofficial assistant. She had made indispensable contributions to his experimental achievements.
Joseph thanked the Lavoisiers again, and they began chatting about various topics.
As they spoke, Joseph noticed a strange painting on the wall of the Lavoisiers' home. The painting had a yellow background and depicted a neat arrangement of peculiar symbols—two stacked triangles, a circle with a trident, a glowing "sun," and more. The symbols looked like something out of a wizard's spellbook.
Lavoisier followed Joseph's gaze and smiled proudly. "Your Highness, that's my periodic table of elements. I have discovered 33 elements so far, and all the countless objects in this world are composed of these small things!
"See, that one represents hydrogen, that one is oxygen, and this one here is gold..."
Seeing Joseph's perplexed expression, Lavoisier quickly explained, "Oh, by 'elements,' I mean substances that, in chemical terms, cannot be broken down into anything simpler by any means."
"Ah, thank you for the explanation." Joseph finally understood.
It wasn't that he didn't know what elements were, but he was surprised by how Lavoisier and other chemists of the time had managed to conduct so much effective research using symbols that looked like something out of a mystical alchemist's grimoire.
Joseph suddenly thought he might be able to help Lavoisier improve his research efficiency, which could free up more of his time for the production of mercury fulminate.
After some consideration, he pointed to the element chart on the wall and asked, "Mr. Lavoisier, do these symbols have any special meaning?"
Lavoisier paused for a moment, then shook his head. "No, not particularly. Your Highness, to be honest, most of them are drawn based on traditional practices."
The "traditional practices" Lavoisier referred to were actually rooted in alchemy. In the early stages of chemical research, many concepts, such as the "phlogiston" theory that Lavoisier later disproved, were inherited from alchemy. So, using alchemical symbols for elements seemed perfectly natural at the time.
Joseph pretended to ponder this and said, "If they don't have special meanings, why make them so complicated?
"What if you used Latin letters to represent the elements? It might be much simpler. Do you have some paper and a pen handy?"
Lavoisier gestured toward his study. "Over there, Your Highness."
Joseph followed him to the study on the second floor, picked up a pen, and wrote a "C" and an "O" on a piece of paper. "For example, these could represent carbon and oxygen.
"Now, for carbon dioxide..."
Recalling that carbon dioxide was called "carbonic acid" at that time, he corrected himself. "For carbonic acid, you could write it like this."
He then wrote "CO2" on the paper and added some symbols, turning it into "C+2O = CO2."
Lavoisier, who had been watching, widened his eyes in amazement. "Your method of writing chemical reactions... It's indeed very clear and concise!"
Glancing at his own "alchemical" symbols on the nearby manuscript, he couldn't hide his excitement. "I dare say, if we taught students this way, we could cut the time spent on each lesson in half!"
Joseph added, "We could use the first letter of each element's Latin name as its symbol, and if there's a repeat, use the first two letters. This not only simplifies writing but also makes it easier to remember."
"Exactly! Your idea is absolutely brilliant!"
Lavoisier quickly grabbed a sheet of paper and jotted down 33 letters in less than 20 seconds, growing even more excited. "Your Highness, you're a genius... No, your mind must have been touched by the divine!
"Using the old method, it would have taken more than twice as long to write these out, and it wouldn't have been nearly as clear—especially when showing chemical reactions. This will undoubtedly enhance the efficiency of chemical research! Your Highness, may I include this notation system in my Elementary Treatise on Chemistry?"
"Of course," Joseph replied. He had suggested using letters for element symbols precisely to help speed up the completion of Lavoisier's Elementary Treatise on Chemistry.
Seeing that Lavoisier was already engrossed in organizing the new symbols, Joseph prepared to take his leave. As he turned to go, he noticed a document lying on the corner of the desk titled Proposal for a Standard of Length.
He picked up the three-page document and saw that it was co-authored by Lavoisier and mathematician Monge, addressed to the French Academy of Sciences. The proposal recommended adopting the "meter" as the standard unit of length and urged the Academy to establish a "Standards Committee" as soon as possible.
Joseph then recalled that Lavoisier would become a central figure in the future "Standards Committee."
Since he was keen on promoting the unification of measurement standards in France, it seemed that the right person to lead this effort was standing right in front of him!
When Lavoisier noticed Joseph reading his proposal, he explained, "Your Highness, the lack of uniform measurement units in the academic world right now is causing significant problems. For example, scholars in Paris and Marseille trying to discuss an issue often waste half an hour just agreeing on what measurement system to use."
Joseph nodded in agreement. "You're absolutely right! And it's not just in academia. In actual production, the absence of standardized measurements can lead to many issues as well."
He placed the document back on the desk and turned to Lavoisier. "I've heard that the preparation for the 'Standards Committee' within the Academy has been incredibly slow. If necessary, I could help push this matter forward.
"For instance, I could secure funding, and the royal family could sponsor the formation of the committee."
"That would be wonderful!" Lavoisier was overjoyed. He had long been frustrated with the Academy's sluggishness, and the young Prince's reputation for being decisive and efficient was well-known in Paris. If the Prince took charge, France would surely have a standardized unit of length soon.
"You have brought a ray of hope to French academia!"
Joseph continued, "Moreover, I hope we won't just establish a standard unit of length. Let's use this opportunity to standardize units of mass, temperature, heat, and so on, across the board."
End of Chapter
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