How Did Antoine Lavoisier Contribute To Chemistry

Antoine Lavoisier, deemed the father of modern chemistry, was born August 26, 1743 in Paris, France, but he did not pursue his love for science as a career until after he received a bachelor’s degree in law and obtained a license to practice law in 1764. Lavoisier always had a strong interest in the sciences, but was encouraged by his father to consider it only a hobby. However, in 1764, the same year he decided against practicing law, his first scientific paper was published, and he was elected to the French Academy of Sciences. After this Lavoisier began to conduct research that made lasting changes to the science of chemistry.(1)
One discovery that Antoine Lavoisier is responsible for is that of Sulfur as an element, rather than as a compound
His work on gunpowder came about in 1775 when he acquired a position as a commissioner of the Royal Gunpowder and Saltpeter Administration and allowed him to both increase the production of gunpowder as well as the quality. Lavoisier worked diligently to assure that the gunpowder components were as pure as possible while also improving granulation methods. (4) Although he was not the first scientist to discover it, in 1778 Lavoisier discovered what he established as the Law of Conservation of Mass. He based this law off his work with Carbon, Mercury Oxide, Oxygen, and other elements, and he stated that matter is conserved in chemical reactions. The discovery that he made of Carbon happened because he noticed that charcoal and diamond were both derived from the same element. Lastly, in 1783, when Lavoisier made the discovery of Hydrogen as an element, he noticed that when he combined it with Oxygen they formed water. Thus, establishing that water could not possibly be an individual chemical element.