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What names did Antoine Lavoisier give to oxygen and nitrogen?
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Antoine Lavoisier
Antoine Lavoisier.
Antoine Lavoisier, a central figure in the 18th-century chemical revolution, gave the following names to oxygen and nitrogen:
- Oxygen: Lavoisier named this gas oxygen, which is derived from Greek for "acid producer," as he believed it was a necessary component in the formation of all acids.12
- Nitrogen: Because this gas was unable to support life, Lavoisier named it azote, a term derived from the Greek word zoe (life) with a privative prefix. Azote remains the French equivalent for nitrogen today.32