The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 161

Chapter 161: The Father of Chemistry

Joseph couldn’t say he had merely heard of the name Lavoisier; it was more like it thundered in his ears.

The greatest French chemist of the 18th century, known as the "Father of Modern Chemistry" and "the Newton of Chemistry," he laid the foundation of modern chemistry. He proved the law of conservation of mass, defined the concept of "elements," invented the precursor to the periodic table of elements, established the theory of oxidation, and put an end to the "phlogiston theory."

In simpler terms, he was the ultimate authority in the world of chemistry.

Joseph suddenly felt relieved. No wonder the Royal Gunpowder Bureau could not function properly without its director—any department with someone like Lavoisier at its core would inevitably become reliant on him. Most likely, all the research at the Gunpowder Bureau revolved around Lavoisier. With him on leave, the others completely lost their backbone.

The assistant director of the Gunpowder Bureau looked cautiously at the Crown Prince and said,
“Your Highness, shall I notify the director to come see you?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Joseph said, rising to his feet.

Out of admiration for a scholar whose name would go down in history, and respect for a leading figure in contemporary academia, he felt he ought to visit Lavoisier in person.

He turned to the assistant director.
“Please give me Mr. Lavoisier’s address.”

Leaving Versailles, it was less than two leagues before Joseph saw the crowd transferring to rail carriages in the distance—British rail workers were remarkably fast. The wooden tracks now extended to the western suburbs of Paris, and in another month, one could take a rail carriage directly from Versailles to Paris.

The nobles waiting in line to transfer made way for the Crown Prince, who did not hesitate to board a four-passenger rail carriage.

The carriage sped along the wooden tracks, traveling more than twice as fast as an ordinary horse-drawn carriage. The wooden tracks offered so little resistance that the horses pulling the carriage seemed noticeably at ease, almost as if they were running without any load.

In the past, horses had to slow down and rest once or twice on the journey from Versailles to Paris. This time, the horses not only didn’t rest but even galloped joyfully downhill, forcing the coachman to repeatedly issue “whoa” commands to rein them in.

Watching the trees rapidly recede through the window, Joseph estimated the speed was almost comparable to that of a modern electric scooter.

He mentally planned to first build a circular wooden railway around Paris, followed by a line running north to south through the city. The east-west line had already been completed before Fashion Week.

When the railway system was fully operational, Paris would achieve the highest transportation efficiency in Europe, dramatically boosting the city’s overall productivity.

As for construction costs, with the current wooden tracks as a demonstration, funds could be raised from private sources. Operating rights for the railway could be used as repayment, similar to the toll-road model of the future.

Once Paris’s rail system became renowned, rail lines to industrial centers like Lyon could be built to promote the sale of goods.

Although these wooden tracks were currently suitable only for horse-drawn carriages, they would not go to waste. The foundations and wooden sleepers were compatible with iron rails.

Once France’s steel production increased and steam trains were invented, replacing the wooden tracks with iron ones would allow for rapid railway upgrades.

In just about an hour, the carriage reached the west side of the Saint-Germain District in Paris. After walking a short distance, Joseph spotted a gray and white villa ahead.

Eymond looked around at the street signs and said,
“Your Highness, this should be the place.”

Joseph gazed at the exquisitely designed villa and the 300 to 400 square meters of gardens and play areas within its walls, suddenly recalling another side of Lavoisier’s life—he was a tax collector.

If memory served, Lavoisier had leased the salt and tobacco taxes for 500,000 livres, earning an annual income of 80,000 to 100,000 livres. His family was quite wealthy.

However, it was precisely this status that led to his tragic end during the French Revolution. Lagrange had lamented over it, saying,
“They could chop off his head in an instant, but it would take a hundred years to produce another like his.”

Joseph sighed inwardly. As long as he was around, he would never let such a precious scientist be harmed.

Lavoisier could hardly have imagined the Crown Prince would suddenly visit. Delighted and nervous, he quickly gathered his family and servants to greet him.

“Ah, Your Highness, what an honor!” Lavoisier bowed respectfully at the door. “I never expected you to grace us with your presence.”

Joseph smiled and returned the bow. Taking the chemist by the arm, he led him inside and asked with concern,
“I heard you’ve taken a long leave. Are you unwell?”

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.” Lavoisier smiled and shook his head. “I’m fine, as you can see, quite healthy!
“I simply needed to focus on finishing a paper and had to temporarily set aside my work at the Royal Gunpowder Bureau.”

Joseph asked curiously,
“Oh? What is your new work about?”

“I have named it The Fundamental Treatise on Chemistry,” Lavoisier said, a proud smile lighting up his face. “It is a comprehensive summary of all my chemical theories. I believe it will bring a renaissance to the field of chemistry!”

Joseph was deeply moved. No wonder Lavoisier had taken such a long leave—he was about to complete a seminal work in modern chemistry.

The Fundamental Treatise on Chemistry would later be ranked alongside Newton’s Principia Mathematica and Darwin’s On the Origin of Species as one of the three greatest works in the history of natural science.

After being shown to a meticulously prepared sofa, Joseph motioned for Lavoisier to sit as well and said,
“Please, Mr. Lavoisier, have a seat.”

Recalling the main purpose of his visit, he hesitated before saying,
“Mr. Lavoisier, though it may interfere with your research, there is a matter only you can resolve.”

“Please, Your Highness, do not hesitate to ask. It is my honor to assist you.”

“I need the Gunpowder Bureau to quickly produce mercury fulminate, but they claim they cannot deliver a product for another four months without your guidance.”

Lavoisier nodded slightly.
“You mean the explosive that detonates upon impact? I read about it in an English paper. It should be made from mercury and nitric acid. I believe crystallization is required to obtain a purer product, possibly with the use of a catalyst.”

Joseph silently applauded. As expected of a leading academic, he had deduced the process from just a few papers.

Lavoisier continued,
“Such precise experimental work is likely beyond Clovis and the others. Your Highness, I can assist in producing mercury fulminate, but I can only visit the Gunpowder Bureau two days a week.”

Joseph thought two days a week would suffice; he didn’t want to delay the completion of The Fundamental Treatise on Chemistry.

“How long do you estimate the process will take?” Joseph asked.

“About a month,” Lavoisier replied, his gaze softening as he looked at his wife. “If Marianne is willing to help.”

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>