How did Antoine Lavoisier’s chemical revolution change scientific methods?

Antoine Lavoisier transformed chemistry from a collection of uncoordinated reports into a rigorous, modern science by prioritizing quantification, demonstration, and systematic organization.12

His methodological changes included:

• Emphasis on Quantification: Lavoisier insisted that chemical reactions be investigated by precisely measuring the masses of all substances consumed and produced. This approach established the conservation of mass as a fundamental principle, moving the field toward the investigative standards of experimental physics.32
• Standardized Nomenclature: To ensure clarity and universal acceptance of his theories, he and his colleagues developed a new system of chemical nomenclature in 1787, which remains the basis for naming substances today.14
• Prescriptive Methodology: Through his Traité élémentaire de chimie (Elementary Treatise on Chemistry), Lavoisier provided a programmatic guide for how chemists should investigate, organize, and explain their subjects.1

By leading through example and demanding that chemistry rely on measurable, reproducible evidence rather than speculative hypotheses like phlogiston, Lavoisier successfully reinvented the discipline as a modern, reliable science.152