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Which later scientists studied gases after Joseph Blackās fixed-air research?
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Joseph Black
Joseph Black, detail of an engraving by J. Rogers after a portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn
Following Joseph Blackās seminal research on "fixed air" (now known as carbon dioxide), several scientists in the second half of the 18th century furthered the study of gases, a field that became known as pneumatic chemistry.12
Key scientists who built upon this foundation include:
- Joseph Priestley: An English clergyman and scientist who characterized several gases, most notably oxygen, which he referred to as "dephlogisticated air".1
- Daniel Rutherford: A pupil of Black who is credited with the discovery of [nitrogen].1
- Henry Cavendish: An English physicist and chemist who identified hydrogen, which he called "inflammable air".13
- Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier: A French chemist who utilized Blackās quantitative methods to develop a new system of chemistry. Lavoisier identified the role of oxygen in combustion and respiration, renamed "inflammable air" as hydrogen, and established the modern understanding of chemical elements and nomenclature.32