How did Antoine Lavoisier use precise measurements in chemical experiments?

Antoine Lavoisier, often called the "father of modern chemistry," revolutionized the field by prioritizing rigorous, quantitative experimentation over qualitative observation. His success was largely driven by his insistence on carefully accounting for all substances involved in a reaction, including gases, by tracking their weights with the greatest possible precision.12

To achieve this, Lavoisier utilized his independent wealth to commission the construction of elaborate, custom-designed apparatuses that allowed him to isolate and measure substances with unprecedented accuracy. By meticulously weighing reactants and products, he demonstrated that matter is neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions, a principle now known as the conservation of mass.32

This quantitative approach allowed him to disprove the phlogiston theory by showing that weight changes in processes like calcination and combustion were due to the absorption or release of oxygen, rather than the loss of an undetectable substance. His commitment to precise measurement established a new standard for scientific investigation and provided the foundation for modern chemical theory.423