Traité Élémentaire de Chimie

What it is

This is a chemistry textbook written by Antoine Lavoisier and published in 1789 in Paris. It was later translated into English as Elements of Chemistry.

Why it matters

The book is considered the first modern chemistry textbook. In it Lavoisier defined an element as a substance that cannot be broken down further, listed 33 substances he considered elements, and set out the principle that matter is conserved in chemical reactions. These ideas replaced older alchemical thinking and gave chemistry a new, more scientific structure.

Look closer

• Why might organizing knowledge into a clear system, as Lavoisier does here, change how a whole science develops?
• Which of the 33 "elements" listed are still considered elements today, and which are not — what does that tell you about how science changes?
• What does the title page tell you about who funded or supported this kind of publishing in the 1780s?