Conceptually similarSCIENCE SOURCEAntoine Lavoisier, Apparatus to Study Air CompositionSS2478203BV3150Rights ManagedSCIENCE SOURCEAntoine Lavoisier, Apparatus to Study Air CompositionSS2481709BU7478Rights ManagedSCIENCE SOURCEAntoine Lavoisier, Respiration ExperimentSS2696183JC2943Rights ManagedMARY EVANSAntoine-Laurent LavoisierSS2206311BD2119Rights ManagedSCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY1780 Antoine Lavoisier chemist of gasesSS21328993Rights ManagedSCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARYLavoisier respiration experiment, 1770sSS21202191Rights ManagedSCIENCE SOURCELavoisier's Air Composition Experiment, 1776SS2776164JF6164Rights ManagedWELLCOME IMAGESAntoine Lavoisier, Respiration ExperimentsSS2696182JC2942Rights ManagedSCIENCE SOURCEAntoine Lavoisier, Respiration ExperimentSS2696197JC3088Rights ManagedView AllView more with similar tones Lavoisier's Apparatus to Study Air CompositionLicense type:Rights ManagedUnique identifier:SS2478202Legacy Identifier:BV3149Description:Illustration from an 1892 Chemistry book for Lavoisier's apparatus for determining the composition of air. Base of retort sits on a small furnace; open end passes into a container of liquid and is turned upwards, being covered by a bell jar. Lavoisier heated a small amount of mercury over a coal oven in a retort. The mouth of the retort was inserted in a bell-jar placed in a trough filled with mercury. The heating was continued for several days. After the first few days, he observed a reddish power on the surface of mercury in the retort. These changes continued for 12 days after which, formation of reddish powder stopped and no further increase was noticed in the level of mercury in the bell-jar. Lavoisier noticed that the rise in the level of mercury in the ball-jar was one-fifth of the capacity of the bell-jar. He found that the residual gas in the bell-jar was unfit for breathing and could not support combustion. This was later called nitrogen. Lavoisier collected the reddish powder and heated it strongly. He obtained a shiny, metallic metal (mercury) and a colorless, odorless gas which supported combustion. The volume of the gas was found to be equal to the increase in the volume of mercury in the bell-jar. This gas was named oxygen. When Lavoisier mixed oxygen and nitrogen, he obtained air. He thus concluded that air is made of two gases-nitrogen and oxygen which formed four-fifth and one-fifths part of air respectively.Credit:Science SourceSize:4025px × 2550px (~29 MB)Get PricingHow Will The Visual Be Used?ShareKeywords:18th century-19th century-antoine lavoisier-chemical apparatus-chemical equipment-chemistry-chemistry experiment-composition of air-engraving-enhanced-history-lavoisier's apparatus-mixture of gases-nitrogen and oxygen-quantitative chemical experiment-ScienceFolder Legacy Identifier:enhancementsModel release:N/AParent folder:enhancements