Gay Lussac Research Paper
is-gay lussac
Mike Wagura
Chemistry Honors
7TH Period
April 25, 2011
JOSEPH LOUIS GAY-LUSSAC
Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac was born in December 6, 1778 in Saint Leonard de Norblat in France. He was the eldest son of Antoine Gay. Antoine Gay was a judge at Point-de-Norblac and had acquired the name Lussac a small family property in a nearby town. Gay Lussac received his early education in his hometown of Saint- Leonard. Since an early age, Gay-Lussac had a curious interest in science. He was very talented probably because one of his grandfathers had been an author, and a few of his relative were notable figures in France. In 1794, he was sent to Paris by his father in preparations for his further education in college. In 1797, …show more content…
after passing an admission examination, Gay Lussac was admitted into the University of Ecole Polytechnique. However, three years later, he was sent to Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees where he became a student and a research assistant to C. L Berthollet. Gay-Lussac was also appointed as the assistant to Antoine Francois Fourcroy in 1802. A while later, after Berthollet astonished by Lussac’s intelligence and science potential, Berthollet declared himself as the “father in science” to Gay-Lussac. In 1809, Gay-Lussac married Geneviève-Marie-Joseph Rojot who worked in a tailor’s shop. They had five children and the eldest son, Jules, became a laboratory assistant to Justus Liebig, a close friend to Gay-Lussac. In 1807, Gay Lussac became a member of the Socite d’ Arcueil. He became a Professor of chemistry at Ecole Polytechnique in 1809. However, Gay-Lussac kept alternating from being a chemistry professor, to being a professor of physics. As a highlight of his successful career, Gay-Lussac was elected into the Haute Vienne chamber of deputies in France in 1839. Gay-Lussac was involved in numerous scientific researches and studies. His studies included capillary action, hygrometry, properties of gases, and standard measurement of alcohol content in beverages. He worked with Pierre Simon Laplace, a close French chemist, while researching the laws of capillarity. They both made publications, and also collaborated in many researches afterwards. Although Gay-Lussac is not accredited with the study of hygrometry nor the device itself, his involvement with the atmosphere prompted him to publish his ideas and observations concerning hygrometry. A formal request to Gay-Lussac to study the effects of increasing altitude on the Earth’s magnetic field took him to the skies. In 1804, together with Jean Baptiste Biot, Gay-Lussac ascended in a hydrogen balloon in order to collect data samples of air. He also had the opportunity to investigate the composition of air at various altitudes. After testing the air samples at his laboratory, he concluded that altitude was not a determining factor in the strengthening or the weakening of Earth’s magnetic field. Gay-Lussac also found out that the composition of the different gases in air to be constant at different altitudes despite the fact that he had a headache about twenty thousand feet off the ground. Gay-Lussac’s next major study was the measuring alcohol(ethanol) concentration in alcoholic beverages. He developed an alcohol by volume standard measurement by mainly using units of volume. This standard measure showed how much alcohol was contained in an alcohol beverage by dividing the amount of alcohol (ethanol) by the volume of the alcohol beverage. The result (ABV) was finally expressed as a percentage. The percent-expression proved useful globally since all kinds of capacity units (such as litres and gallons) could be used without necessary conversion. The alchol-by-volume standard measurement has been used since his times till now. Two years after his magnetic field experiment in a hydrogen balloon, Gay-Lussac discovered the relationship between the pressure and temperature of a gas while researching on the thermal expansion of gases. He noted that when the temperature of a gas was increased, the pressure increased as well. Therefore, the relationship between the two factors, temperature and pressure, was directly proportionate. For his discovered law to function properly under correct conditions, the volume of the gas had to remain the same. This meant that the volume(V) was a constant (K), while temperature(T) and pressure(P) were variables. The following equation was devised by Gay-Lussac according to the Gay-Lussac law: Since the law involved direct proportions (temperature and pressure), the first ratio and the second is equal to the second ratio if the volume is constant (P1T2=P2T2). However, Gay-Lussac’s pressure-temperature gas law was similar to Charles’ law, which had been discovered in 1787. On the other hand, Charles’ Law stated that the volume of a gas is directly proportionate to the temperature if the pressure is constant. As the volume increased, the temperature increased too (V1/T1=V2/T2). According to Charles’ Law, the ratio of (V1/T1) and (V2/T2) were equal because the pressure was always constant. The Gay-Lussac law was more similar to Charles’ Law than to other gas laws with one exception. The constant in Gay-Lussac’s law was volume, whereas pressure was the constant in Charles’ Law. The discovery of Gay-Lussac’s law was important to chemistry. The Gay-Lussac law had the same factors (temperature, volume and pressure) as two other gas laws: Charles’ Law, and Boyle’s Law. Boyle’s law involved pressure and volume variables of a gas. The temperature was constant and both pressure and volume had an inverse relationship. So, as the pressure of the gas increased the volume decreased. All three gas-laws were joined into the Combined Gas Law. The combined gas law described the relationship between temperature, pressure, and volume of a gas. The equation of the combined gas law is: (P1Xv1/T1)=(P2xV2/T2). The constant (K) is found by multiplying pressure by volume, then dividing by temperature (P1Xv1/T1). Gay-Lussac had many achievements and successes in science especially in chemistry. He also led to the discoveries and inventions of multiple devices, laws, and scientific processes and techniques. He was also a pioneer of hot-air balloons, and some gas laws. Together with Alexander von Humboldt, Gay-Lussac discovered that the composition of the atmosphere does not change with decreasing pressure when there is an increase in altitude, in 1805. In 1808, he co-discovered he element Boron. In collaboration with Louis Thenard, he developed a technique for quantitative elemental analysis be measuring the carbon dioxide(CO2) and oxygen(O2) produced by the reaction with potassium chlorate, in 1810. One year later, he recognized iodine and described its properties. He also suggested the name ‘iode’ for this new element although it is now called iodine. In 1824, Gay-Lussac improved and transformed the older burette version into a new efficient burette with an additional side arm. He later named the sidearm, pipette. Gay-Lussac has edited and published multiple scientific publications and journals mainly related to the fields of chemistry and physics. His son, Jules Gay-Lussac who was talented and brilliant as his father, took an interest in science as well. Jules published his articles and scientific journals using the same name and initial as his father (J. Gay-Lussac). This makes it difficult to differentiate between Joseph Gay-Lussac’s publications, and Jules’ work. Most of their publications are contained in the Catalogue of Scientific Papers. He also published his papers and journals in “Annales de Chimie et Physique”, “Memoires d’ Arcueli”, “Comptes rendus” and in “Recherches Physiques et Chimiques”. Gay Lussac received awards and wide recognition from all over Europe. He has also been offered administrative positions in France and honorable positions by many major scientific firms, chemistry and physics organizations, and associations. He is one of the few scientists, chemists and physicians who have used and appreciated the Scientific Method although most French and English condemned the method as useless and misleading. Gay-Lussac was appointed a senior consultant at government gunpowder company where he introduced more efficient and money saving content ratios of the main ingredients of a bullet casing. Similar to the gunpowder consultant position, he was chosen to be an adviser at a glass-making factory in France. Sadly, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac died in May 9 1850, after a successful scientific career.
His laws and inventions have been applied to modern science. The Gay-Lussac gas law can be applied to many everyday norms. This ranges from the use of a pressure cooker, to the use of hot-air balloons. When using a pressure cooker, the mass and contents inside (including the air and vapor) are constant. Since pressure and temperature are directly proportionate, an increase in temperature will result in an increase in pressure. His invention of the alcohol-by-volume has benefited the global beer and winery industry. Companies can now monitor the processing of beer and wine products with respect to alcohol-content. The alcohol-by-volume standard measurement has enabled the governments all over the world to classify alcoholic beverages according to their ABV percentage, and also establish laws that control the processing of these beverages and heir distribution. Nowadays, we have adequate information on the effects of temperature, pressure, and volume on gases. His constant use of hot-air balloons led to their use in spying during World War I. In our modern times, hot-air ballooning has turned out to be a sport and enjoyable activity. Hot-air balloons are also used to collect atmospheric data, and for observing the migration of birds. Gay-Lussac has immensely contributed to the chemistry knowledge and has inspired the continued research in chemistry as well as the discovery and inventions of new processes, laws, and
materials.
Works Cited
1. http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/chemistry-in-history/themes/early-chemistry-and-gases/gay-lussac.aspx 2. http://www.woodrow.org/teachers/ci/1992/gay-lussac.html
3. http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/aglussac.html
4. http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Fe-Ge/Gay-Lussac-Joseph-Louis.html
5. http://www.bookrags.com/biography/joseph-louis-gay-lussac-wsd/
6. http://encyclopedia.stateuniversity.com/pages/12393/Joseph-Louis-Gay-Lussac.html
7. http://home.comcast.net/~rstine/gaslaws3.html
8. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/Animation/gaslab/Images/chtmmp.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-
9. http://www.mrteverett.com/Chemistry/gases/index.asp
10. http://www.educypedia.be/education/chemistryjavagas.htm
11. http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/hillchem3/medialib/media_portfolio/text_images/CH05/FG05_11.JPG
12. http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/900/PreviewComp/SuperStock_900-131484.jpg
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[pic]
[pic]
Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac(b. 1778-1850) A French chemist
Ascending in hot-air balloons to take data and air samples.
[pic]
Gay-Lussac Law: Volume is constant, changes in temperature and pressure only. Temp. and pressure are directly proportionate.
[pic]
Mike Wagura
Chemistry Honors
7TH Period
April 25, 2011
JOSEPH LOUIS GAY-LUSSAC
Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac was born in December 6, 1778 in Saint Leonard de Norblat in France. He was the eldest son of Antoine Gay. Antoine Gay was a judge at Point-de-Norblac and had acquired the name Lussac a small family property in a nearby town. Gay Lussac received his early education in his hometown of Saint- Leonard. Since an early age, Gay-Lussac had a curious interest in science. He was very talented probably because one of his grandfathers had been an author, and a few of his relative were notable figures in France. In 1794, he was sent to Paris by his father in preparations for his further education in college. In 1797, …show more content…
after passing an admission examination, Gay Lussac was admitted into the University of Ecole Polytechnique. However, three years later, he was sent to Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees where he became a student and a research assistant to C. L Berthollet. Gay-Lussac was also appointed as the assistant to Antoine Francois Fourcroy in 1802. A while later, after Berthollet astonished by Lussac’s intelligence and science potential, Berthollet declared himself as the “father in science” to Gay-Lussac. In 1809, Gay-Lussac married Geneviève-Marie-Joseph Rojot who worked in a tailor’s shop. They had five children and the eldest son, Jules, became a laboratory assistant to Justus Liebig, a close friend to Gay-Lussac. In 1807, Gay Lussac became a member of the Socite d’ Arcueil. He became a Professor of chemistry at Ecole Polytechnique in 1809. However, Gay-Lussac kept alternating from being a chemistry professor, to being a professor of physics. As a highlight of his successful career, Gay-Lussac was elected into the Haute Vienne chamber of deputies in France in 1839. Gay-Lussac was involved in numerous scientific researches and studies. His studies included capillary action, hygrometry, properties of gases, and standard measurement of alcohol content in beverages. He worked with Pierre Simon Laplace, a close French chemist, while researching the laws of capillarity. They both made publications, and also collaborated in many researches afterwards. Although Gay-Lussac is not accredited with the study of hygrometry nor the device itself, his involvement with the atmosphere prompted him to publish his ideas and observations concerning hygrometry. A formal request to Gay-Lussac to study the effects of increasing altitude on the Earth’s magnetic field took him to the skies. In 1804, together with Jean Baptiste Biot, Gay-Lussac ascended in a hydrogen balloon in order to collect data samples of air. He also had the opportunity to investigate the composition of air at various altitudes. After testing the air samples at his laboratory, he concluded that altitude was not a determining factor in the strengthening or the weakening of Earth’s magnetic field. Gay-Lussac also found out that the composition of the different gases in air to be constant at different altitudes despite the fact that he had a headache about twenty thousand feet off the ground. Gay-Lussac’s next major study was the measuring alcohol(ethanol) concentration in alcoholic beverages. He developed an alcohol by volume standard measurement by mainly using units of volume. This standard measure showed how much alcohol was contained in an alcohol beverage by dividing the amount of alcohol (ethanol) by the volume of the alcohol beverage. The result (ABV) was finally expressed as a percentage. The percent-expression proved useful globally since all kinds of capacity units (such as litres and gallons) could be used without necessary conversion. The alchol-by-volume standard measurement has been used since his times till now. Two years after his magnetic field experiment in a hydrogen balloon, Gay-Lussac discovered the relationship between the pressure and temperature of a gas while researching on the thermal expansion of gases. He noted that when the temperature of a gas was increased, the pressure increased as well. Therefore, the relationship between the two factors, temperature and pressure, was directly proportionate. For his discovered law to function properly under correct conditions, the volume of the gas had to remain the same. This meant that the volume(V) was a constant (K), while temperature(T) and pressure(P) were variables. The following equation was devised by Gay-Lussac according to the Gay-Lussac law: Since the law involved direct proportions (temperature and pressure), the first ratio and the second is equal to the second ratio if the volume is constant (P1T2=P2T2). However, Gay-Lussac’s pressure-temperature gas law was similar to Charles’ law, which had been discovered in 1787. On the other hand, Charles’ Law stated that the volume of a gas is directly proportionate to the temperature if the pressure is constant. As the volume increased, the temperature increased too (V1/T1=V2/T2). According to Charles’ Law, the ratio of (V1/T1) and (V2/T2) were equal because the pressure was always constant. The Gay-Lussac law was more similar to Charles’ Law than to other gas laws with one exception. The constant in Gay-Lussac’s law was volume, whereas pressure was the constant in Charles’ Law. The discovery of Gay-Lussac’s law was important to chemistry. The Gay-Lussac law had the same factors (temperature, volume and pressure) as two other gas laws: Charles’ Law, and Boyle’s Law. Boyle’s law involved pressure and volume variables of a gas. The temperature was constant and both pressure and volume had an inverse relationship. So, as the pressure of the gas increased the volume decreased. All three gas-laws were joined into the Combined Gas Law. The combined gas law described the relationship between temperature, pressure, and volume of a gas. The equation of the combined gas law is: (P1Xv1/T1)=(P2xV2/T2). The constant (K) is found by multiplying pressure by volume, then dividing by temperature (P1Xv1/T1). Gay-Lussac had many achievements and successes in science especially in chemistry. He also led to the discoveries and inventions of multiple devices, laws, and scientific processes and techniques. He was also a pioneer of hot-air balloons, and some gas laws. Together with Alexander von Humboldt, Gay-Lussac discovered that the composition of the atmosphere does not change with decreasing pressure when there is an increase in altitude, in 1805. In 1808, he co-discovered he element Boron. In collaboration with Louis Thenard, he developed a technique for quantitative elemental analysis be measuring the carbon dioxide(CO2) and oxygen(O2) produced by the reaction with potassium chlorate, in 1810. One year later, he recognized iodine and described its properties. He also suggested the name ‘iode’ for this new element although it is now called iodine. In 1824, Gay-Lussac improved and transformed the older burette version into a new efficient burette with an additional side arm. He later named the sidearm, pipette. Gay-Lussac has edited and published multiple scientific publications and journals mainly related to the fields of chemistry and physics. His son, Jules Gay-Lussac who was talented and brilliant as his father, took an interest in science as well. Jules published his articles and scientific journals using the same name and initial as his father (J. Gay-Lussac). This makes it difficult to differentiate between Joseph Gay-Lussac’s publications, and Jules’ work. Most of their publications are contained in the Catalogue of Scientific Papers. He also published his papers and journals in “Annales de Chimie et Physique”, “Memoires d’ Arcueli”, “Comptes rendus” and in “Recherches Physiques et Chimiques”. Gay Lussac received awards and wide recognition from all over Europe. He has also been offered administrative positions in France and honorable positions by many major scientific firms, chemistry and physics organizations, and associations. He is one of the few scientists, chemists and physicians who have used and appreciated the Scientific Method although most French and English condemned the method as useless and misleading. Gay-Lussac was appointed a senior consultant at government gunpowder company where he introduced more efficient and money saving content ratios of the main ingredients of a bullet casing. Similar to the gunpowder consultant position, he was chosen to be an adviser at a glass-making factory in France. Sadly, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac died in May 9 1850, after a successful scientific career.
His laws and inventions have been applied to modern science. The Gay-Lussac gas law can be applied to many everyday norms. This ranges from the use of a pressure cooker, to the use of hot-air balloons. When using a pressure cooker, the mass and contents inside (including the air and vapor) are constant. Since pressure and temperature are directly proportionate, an increase in temperature will result in an increase in pressure. His invention of the alcohol-by-volume has benefited the global beer and winery industry. Companies can now monitor the processing of beer and wine products with respect to alcohol-content. The alcohol-by-volume standard measurement has enabled the governments all over the world to classify alcoholic beverages according to their ABV percentage, and also establish laws that control the processing of these beverages and heir distribution. Nowadays, we have adequate information on the effects of temperature, pressure, and volume on gases. His constant use of hot-air balloons led to their use in spying during World War I. In our modern times, hot-air ballooning has turned out to be a sport and enjoyable activity. Hot-air balloons are also used to collect atmospheric data, and for observing the migration of birds. Gay-Lussac has immensely contributed to the chemistry knowledge and has inspired the continued research in chemistry as well as the discovery and inventions of new processes, laws, and
materials.
Works Cited
1. http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/chemistry-in-history/themes/early-chemistry-and-gases/gay-lussac.aspx 2. http://www.woodrow.org/teachers/ci/1992/gay-lussac.html
3. http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/aglussac.html
4. http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Fe-Ge/Gay-Lussac-Joseph-Louis.html
5. http://www.bookrags.com/biography/joseph-louis-gay-lussac-wsd/
6. http://encyclopedia.stateuniversity.com/pages/12393/Joseph-Louis-Gay-Lussac.html
7. http://home.comcast.net/~rstine/gaslaws3.html
8. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/Animation/gaslab/Images/chtmmp.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-
9. http://www.mrteverett.com/Chemistry/gases/index.asp
10. http://www.educypedia.be/education/chemistryjavagas.htm
11. http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/hillchem3/medialib/media_portfolio/text_images/CH05/FG05_11.JPG
12. http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/900/PreviewComp/SuperStock_900-131484.jpg
-----------------------
[pic]
[pic]
Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac(b. 1778-1850) A French chemist
Ascending in hot-air balloons to take data and air samples.
[pic]
Gay-Lussac Law: Volume is constant, changes in temperature and pressure only. Temp. and pressure are directly proportionate.
[pic]