Debunking the Weirdest Chemistry Theory

Ushering in the new era of chemistry required one of the most famous chemists of all time to set a lot of firsts for the budding science

For this discussion (which I originally titled “Smashing Phlogiston” because it sounded like a cool 90’s grunge band name), let’s start with a chemical equation:

Now, don’t be intimidated — this is as simple as it looks. This is the combination of hydrogen and oxygen to create water, and this is the centerpiece of today’s story.

Before we get into the significance of this reaction and the person that made it famous, there’s a bit of background that we need to cover in order to set the stage for why this reaction was so important. First, up until the mid-18th century, chemistry wasn’t really a science like physics or math. There’s no chemistry equivalent of Isaac Newton…yet. Some may argue that Handsome Robert Boyle could have been that Newton-like equivalent, but I don’t put them on the same plane. As such, chemistry is kind of in a dark age.

All is not lost, though. The invention and usage of new analytical equipment had stirred up some interesting results — some of which flew in…