On speculative composition materials

Lavoisier's Scientific Thoughts and Research Methods

/kloc-in the 8th century, many contemporary scientists in lavoisier devoted themselves to the study of combustion phenomena. Why did lavoisier start this "unprecedented chemical revolution" instead of others? Even Scheler and priestley "didn't get the truth when it touched their noses"? If we explore the process of "revolution" and consider it in connection with a series of scientific achievements of lavoisier, we will find that it is by no means accidental.

1. lavoisier dares to question and has a strong sense of innovation.

Lavoisier dared to ask why the old theories, old ideas and previous experimental conclusions? This is the power and essence of innovative consciousness. He never mechanically repeats other people's experiments, but critically inherits them, making them arguments for new ideas and theories. For example, in the experiment of oxygen production, lavoisier not only repeated the operation of Priest heating mercury oxide to produce oxygen, but also recombined the produced mercury and oxygen to produce mercury oxide. As a result, the amount of oxygen consumed initially is completely equal to the amount of oxygen regenerated. When verifying the nature of oxygen, he not only did the experiment of candle burning in oxygen, but also did the experiment of phosphorus, sulfur, charcoal, iron, tin, lead and organic matter burning in oxygen. He has done decomposition experiments of lead oxide and potassium nitrate, breathing experiments of animals, etc. On this basis, he put forward the theory of oxidation.

Scientifically, lavoisier's spirit of bravely criticizing old norms and exploring unknown fields is consistent. For example, he improved Boyle's experiment on metal forging and pointed out the key to Boyle's mistake. In the composition experiment of water, he not only combined oxygen and hydrogen to form water, but also decomposed water vapor through a hot iron pipe to obtain oxygen and hydrogen, which proved the composition of water in combination and decomposition. From this, he put forward the scientific concept of elements. For the first time, he put forward the law of immortality of matter and the law of conservation of mass, gave reasonable names to compounds for the first time, classified the early elements for the first time, and listed the first Su Zhang Garden Table ... Throughout lavoisier's scientific activities in his life, he always made great achievements in constant innovation, so he was able to make a breakthrough and announce the arrival of a new scientific era.

Cavendish completed the experiment of synthesizing water long before lavoisier, and determined that the volume ratio of hydrogen to oxygen was 2: 1. This result is enough to prove that water is not an element, but a compound. However, Cavendish stuck to a rut and was bound by "phlogiston theory". He failed to recognize the true composition of water and the elemental nature of hydrogen, and missed the scientific concept of elements. "Although Scheler and priestley precipitated oxygen, I don't know what I got ... This element could have overturned all phlogiston theories and revolutionized chemistry, but it didn't bear fruit in their hands." These examples of "starting from a distorted, one-sided and wrong premise and taking a wrong, crooked and unreliable road" also disprove lavoisier's strong sense of questioning and innovation.

2. lavoisier has a keen insight, is good at thinking, and can summarize and refine the essence of theory.

Lavoisier attached great importance to the important role of theoretical thinking in scientific research. He has a keen mind and scientific insight to see the essence through phenomena. 1774, 10 year 10 month, priestley visited Paris, just as lavoisier was worried about the failure of heating iron forging ash. When priestley talked about getting "dephosphorized air" by heating mercury forging ash with condenser, lavoisier immediately realized the significance of this experiment, and he followed suit. Oxygen was produced, and after thinking-reasoning-induction, the mystery of combustion was finally solved. If lavoisier doesn't have keen insight, he may pass the latest scientific information. Lavoisier is good at analyzing new things and extracting the essence of theory from speculation. Many of his experiments produced great theories, including the preparation of oxygen and the synthesis of water, which were inspired by others. The reason why Swedish and British experimental seeds can blossom and bear fruit in France is largely because lavoisier's thinking generalization ability is high, so he made various regular discoveries. Otherwise, he can only stand on the same level as others.

Strong knowledge base, extensive knowledge level and staggered knowledge intersection are the important reasons for lavoisier's success. Lavoisier graduated from Hosei University, but he also studied different fields. He systematically studied philosophy, mathematics, physics, astronomy, botany, chemistry, mineralogy, geology, literature and so on. He often followed the famous geologist Guettard to carry out geological surveys everywhere. Since the age of 20, he has insisted on meteorological observation every day. 1765 won the gold medal of urban lighting design cloth awarded by the king. We can't deny that all-round and multi-disciplinary knowledge infiltration and integration have played an important role in lavoisier's high comprehensive generalization ability, keen scientific insight and practical operation ability.

3. lavoisier is good at experiments and takes quantity as the measure of chemical reaction.

Lavoisier has a clear understanding of material immortality. He said: "... because artificial or natural operations can't create things out of thin air, in every operation, the total amount of matter before and after the operation is equal, and the quality and quantity of its elements remain unchanged, but they are replaced and deformed, which is also an axiom." All the skills of doing chemical experiments are based on the principle that "we must assume that the elements of the verified object are completely equal to those of its decomposition products".

Before lavoisier, chemistry basically stayed in the qualitative stage and lacked obvious scientific nature. Lavoisier was the first chemist who explicitly proposed to prove the laws of chemistry by weight, and all his experiments were carried out on a strict quantitative basis. He said, "Balance must be used for accurate determination to determine the truth", "Balance is the most reliable experimental means, and it will not deceive chemists. The weights of reactants and products were determined before and after the experiment. This is a reliable and accurate basis for all the work that chemistry can do. " "As the chemical reaction becomes more and more perfect, it is inevitable to need expensive and sophisticated instruments and equipment ..." At present, the National Museum of Arts and Crafts also houses three balances mentioned by lavoisier in Introduction to Chemistry and a gas meter that has realized oxygen hydrogenation, of which two balances are the most accurate so far. The sensitivity of the smaller balance is 0.000 1g, which is relatively large. Another large scale can be called 10kg with an accuracy of 25mg, and the manufacturer is Fang Ting.

Yu Zeng commented: "For lavoisier, weighing is not only used to prove his idea that the quality will not change during the chemical reaction. In his experiment, he was careful not to make substances, especially gaseous substances suffer losses. This is a major feature of his experimental method, and it was also a very new thing at that time. What is unforgettable in the history of chemistry is his rigorous and methodical scientific method, which greatly developed chemistry. " The extensive use of quantitative analysis methods is a sign that ancient chemistry is moving towards modern chemistry; It is an important weapon that leads to the complete bankruptcy of phlogiston theory and the establishment of new combustion theory. It is the beginning of the mutual infiltration of chemistry, physics and mathematics; It provides a powerful tool for the establishment of basic chemical theories and concepts in later generations; It plays an inestimable role in the whole chemical development.

Lavoisier's heroic drama in scientific and political tragedies deserves people's deep thought, and also gives great enlightenment to all scientific workers: a person who struggles for science must share the same fate with the people and must have a firm and correct political direction; A person who devotes himself to science should have noble personality and upright character, and should not pursue fame and fortune excessively.

Although lavoisier's life is not perfect, people have never forgotten his name for more than 200 years, and the monument erected by lavoisier in the history of chemical development is still shining; His scientific thought and scholarship spirit are always worth learning and learning from later generations.