The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 162

Chapter 162: The Advancement of Chemistry

Madame Lavoisier smiled and nodded immediately. “Your Highness, I would be very willing to contribute if you need my help.”

Joseph had not expected Lavoisier to hold his wife in such high regard. Though surprised, he expressed his gratitude. “It’s wonderful that you can assist.”

Lavoisier added, “Your Highness, Marianne has never attended university, but you can absolutely trust her skills in conducting experiments. In fact, she has managed my laboratory over the years.

“Each week, I devise the experimental plans, but when it comes to execution, her efficiency often surpasses mine.”

Through Lavoisier’s explanation, Joseph came to learn that Marianne had studied chemistry experiments closely under Lavoisier after marrying him, becoming his de facto assistant. Her contributions to Lavoisier’s experimental achievements were indispensable.

Joseph once again thanked the Lavoisiers before engaging in casual conversation with them.

While chatting, Joseph’s eyes were drawn to a peculiar oil painting hanging on the wall of the Lavoisier residence. Against a yellow background, it depicted an array of strange symbols—two overlapping triangles, a circle with a “trident,” a glowing “sun,” and others. The arrangement resembled the formulas of a sorcerer’s potion.

Following Joseph’s gaze, Lavoisier smiled proudly. “Your Highness, that is my periodic table. I have discovered 33 elements. These countless, dazzling objects in the world are composed of these tiny entities!

“Look, that’s hydrogen, that’s oxygen, and this one is gold…”

Seeing Joseph’s stunned expression, Lavoisier hastily explained, “Oh, elements in the context of chemistry refer to pure substances that cannot be further decomposed by any method.”

“Ah, thank you for the explanation,” Joseph responded, regaining his composure.

It was not that Joseph lacked understanding of elements but that he was astounded by how Lavoisier and his contemporaries had managed to conduct extensive, productive research using such arcane “sorcerer’s symbols.”

An idea struck him—perhaps he could help Lavoisier improve his research efficiency, giving him more time to focus on the production of fulminate of mercury.

After some deliberation, Joseph pointed to the periodic table on the wall and asked, “Monsieur Lavoisier, do these symbols hold any specific significance?”

Lavoisier paused briefly before shaking his head. “No particular significance, Your Highness. In fact, most of them are drawn based on traditional conventions.”

What Lavoisier referred to as “traditional conventions” were derived from alchemy. In the early stages of chemical research, even many concepts originated from alchemy, such as the phlogiston theory and elements like “wind.” Thus, using alchemical symbols for elements was perfectly natural at the time.

Joseph appeared thoughtful. “If there’s no special meaning, why make them so complicated? What if we used Latin letters to represent elements? It might be much more convenient. Ah, do you have paper and pen here?”

Lavoisier quickly gestured towards his study. “Over there, Your Highness.”

Joseph followed him to the second-floor study, picked up a pen, and wrote a “C” and an “O” on a sheet of paper. “For example, these could represent carbon and oxygen, respectively.

“Then, for carbon dioxide…”

Recalling his earlier studies of 18th-century chemistry, Joseph noted that carbon dioxide was then called carbonic acid. Adjusting, he said, “Carbonic acid could be written like this.”

He wrote “CO2” and added symbols between the letters, turning it into “C+2O = CO2.”

Lavoisier’s eyes widened immediately. “Your method of writing reaction processes… it’s indeed very clear and concise!”

He glanced at his own notes filled with “sorcerer’s symbols” and couldn’t hide his excitement. “I dare say that teaching students with your notation would halve the time required for each lesson!”

Joseph added, “We could use the first letter of the Latin name of each element as its symbol. For duplicates, the first two letters could be used. This way, writing would be not only simpler but also easier to remember.”

“Precisely! Your suggestion is remarkably ingenious!”

Lavoisier quickly grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote out symbols for 33 elements in less than 20 seconds. His excitement grew even more evident. “Your Highness, you’re a genius… no, your mind must have been kissed by the Lord!

“With the old method, even half of this would take twice as long to write, and it would never be as clear as using letters, especially when representing reaction processes. This will undoubtedly greatly improve the efficiency of chemical research! Your Highness, may I include this method in my Elementary Treatise on Chemistry?”

“Of course,” Joseph replied. The introduction of alphabetical symbols for elements was meant to expedite the completion of Elementary Treatise on Chemistry.

Noticing Lavoisier engrossed in organizing the new symbols, Joseph prepared to take his leave. As he turned, his eyes fell upon a document on the corner of the desk—A Proposal on Standard Units of Length.

Picking up the three-page document, Joseph discovered it was a proposal co-authored by Lavoisier and the mathematician Monge for the French Academy of Sciences. It advocated the use of the meter as the standard unit of length and urged the Academy to establish a “Standards Committee” promptly.

Joseph recalled that Lavoisier was destined to become a core member of the future Standards Committee.

Intending to promote the unification of French measurement standards, Joseph realized that the most suitable person to oversee this effort was right in front of him.

Seeing Joseph examining his proposal, Lavoisier explained, “Your Highness, the lack of standardized units in academia has caused significant disruptions. For instance, scholars in Paris and Marseille often spend half an hour just determining the units of measurement for a discussion.”

Joseph nodded. “You’re absolutely right! And it’s not just the academic world. The absence of unified measurement standards poses many problems in practical production as well.”

Placing the document back on the desk, he said to Lavoisier, “I’ve heard that preparations for the Academy’s Standards Committee have been very slow. If necessary, I can expedite the process.

“For instance, I could resolve the funding issues and have the committee established under the royal family’s auspices.”

“That would be wonderful!” Lavoisier exclaimed, overjoyed. He had long been frustrated by the Academy’s sluggish pace, and the Crown Prince’s reputation for decisiveness was well known in Paris. If the Crown Prince were to lead the initiative, France could soon have its own standard unit of length.

“You are a beacon of hope for French academia!”

Joseph continued, “Furthermore, I hope we won’t stop at defining a unit of length. We should take this opportunity to unify units for mass, temperature, heat, and more.”

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