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The alchemist and physician J. J. Becher proposed the phlogiston theory
The phlogiston theory (from the Ancient Greek φλογιστόν phlogistón "burning up", from φλόξ phlóx "flame"), first stated in 1667 by Johann Joachim Becher, is an obsolete scientific theory that postulated the existence of a fire-like element called "phlogiston", which was contained within combustible bodies and released during combustion. The theory was an attempt to explain processes of burning such as combustion and the rusting of metals, which are now collectively known as oxidation.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agophlogiston was devised by Joseph Priestly by carefully weighing objects before and after burning them for example wood bunt => ash + phlogiston
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Is phlogiston considered a scientific knowledge?
No. Phlogiston was a theory considered to be fact and actually hindered scientific knowledge until it was discredited. The theory was used to explain certain observations about flame, oxidation, and the formation of certain compounds, most noticeably cinnabar. As with some theories, phlogiston used variable factors to explain anomalies. For instance it was assumed to have negative weight under certain circumstances. Once oxidation was properly understood phlogiston theory was no longer considered true.
Stahl and Becher major contributions to the field of chemistry?
They proposed the Phlogiston Theory.
What did the Phlogiston theory explain?
The Pholgiston theory explains that when substances (feul) burn, people belived that pholgiston (oxygen) is produced leaving behind the Clax (ash)
Why was the pholgiston theory thought to be incorrect?
The theory holds that all flammable materials contain phlogiston, a substance without color, odor, taste, or mass that is liberated in burning. Once burned, the "dephlogisticated" substance was held to be in its "true" form, the calx."Phlogisticated" substances are those that contain phlogiston and are "dephlogisticated" when burned; "in general, substances that burned in air were said to be rich in phlogiston; the fact that combustion soon ceased in an enclosed space was taken as clear-cut evidence that air had the capacity to absorb only a definite amount of phlogiston. When air had become completely phlogisticated it would no longer serve to support combustion of any material, nor would a metal heated in it yield a calx; nor could phlogisticated air support life, for the role of air in respiration was to remove the phlogiston from the body."[4] Thus, phlogiston as first conceived was a sort of anti-oxygen.Joseph Black's student Daniel Rutherford discovered nitrogen in 1772 and the pair used the theory to explain his results. The residue of air left after burning, in fact a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, was sometimes referred to as "phlogisticated air", having taken up all of the phlogiston. Conversely, when oxygen was first discovered it was thought to be "dephlogisticated air", capable of combining with more phlogiston and thus supporting combustion for longer than ordinary air.[5]j.mastanrao.chemistry mentorandhra pradeshindiae mail: jmrao2006@gmail.com
What are scientific theories that proved to be wrong?
Some I know of: Phlogiston, Galileo's theory of tides, Greek proposition that all numbers are rational, Proposition that malaria is caused by airborne miasmas.
Who rejected phlogiston theory?
Lavoiser rejected the phlogiston theory!
What is the mixture of calx and phlogiston?
lead calx + phlogiston = metallic lead
What did scientist think phlogiston was?
Phlogiston can be defined as "a hypothetical substance once believed to be present in all combustible materials and to be released during burning." Chemistry was so underdeveloped at the time Antoine Lavoisier gained interest in it that it could hardly be called a science. The prevailing view of combustion was the Phlogiston Theory which involved a weightless or nearly weightless substance known as phlogiston. Metals and fire were considered to be rich in phlogiston and earth was considered phlogiston poor. The following were the main theories put forward for 'phlogiston': * Weight loss when combustibles are burned because they lose phlogiston * Fire burns out in an enclosed space because it saturates the air with phlogiston * Charcoal leaves very little residue when burned because it is made mostly of phlogiston * Animals die in an airtight space because the air becomes saturated with phlogiston * Some metal calxes turn to metals when heated with charcoal because the phlogiston from the charcoal restores the phlogiston in the metal
Was the phlogiston theory of burning correct?
No, it was not. The phenomena explained by the theory are now known to be a result of oxidation, and phlogiston does not exist.
Why did the phlogiston theory change peoples ideas about burning?
because it changed their mind to belive that phlogiston is in flammable things.
What are the good points of the phlogiston theory?
a combustible material is made up of 2 parts: the calx and phlogiston when a substance burnt the phlogiston into air and calx(ash) left behind so there are no good points of this theory
Why phlogiston is an element?
Phlogiston is a hypothetical substance which at one time was thought to be the basis of combustion, but which is now known to be fictitious. It is not an element.
How did Antoine lavoisier disprove the phlogiston theory?
There was no evidence until at least 2 yrs into the work of the phlogiston theory
When iron rusts is it a phlogiston theory or a oxygen theory?
It is a process that involves oxygen. The phlogiston theory has been disprooven for a long time.
What was the composition of priestley dephlogisticated air and Rutherford's phlogisticated air?
The facts, as they stand, are these: every creature, when respiring, releases phlogiston. In fact, respiration is simply to be considered a form of combustion. Anything that can burn contains phlogiston. Substances, when burnt, release this weightless, invisible substance - an element of their being, their composition - the phlogiston. The phlogiston is always in need of somewhere to go. Such as, air is best for the phlogiston. Air can absorb it. Taking this mode of thinking to its furthest logical conclusion we can only state that the reason creatures "suffocate" is because there is nowhere for the phlogiston to go. When air was removed from around a living creature then there is nowhere for the phlogiston to go and so respiration would cease and the creature dies.
Which gas used to be called phlogiston?
Oxygen.
What is phlogiston supposed to do?
It was noticed that when things burn, they often leave behind an ash or residue that doesn't burn. It was suggested that before it burns, a flammable object contains some substance called phlogiston, which would make it burn, and when the phlogiston is used up, what is left over would not be able to burn. This theory was later shown to be wrong, and phlogiston is no longer part of the science of chemistry.
