Chapter 162: Advances in Chemistry
Madame Lavoisier immediately smiled and nodded. "Your Highness, I would be very happy to contribute, if you need me to."
Joseph hadn't expected Lavoisier to speak so highly of his wife. Though surprised, he replied gratefully, "It would be wonderful to have your help."
Lavoisier continued, "Your Highness, while Marie-Anne hasn't attended university, you can absolutely trust her experimental skills. In fact, she has managed my laboratory for years.
"Each week, I lay out the experimental plans, but when it comes to the actual execution, her efficiency is even higher than mine."
After Lavoisier's explanation, Joseph learned that his wife had been studying chemistry experiments alongside him since their marriage, becoming his de facto assistant. It was fair to say that her contributions to Lavoisier's experimental achievements were indelible.
Joseph thanked the Lavoisier couple once more, then began to chat casually with them.
As they spoke, Joseph suddenly noticed a peculiar oil painting hanging on the wall of Lavoisier's home. Against a yellow background, a neat array of strange symbols was depicted—two stacked triangles, circles with "tridents," a glowing "sun," and more—looking much like a wizard's potion recipe.
Lavoisier followed his gaze, a proud smile spreading across his face. "Your Highness, that is my table of elements. I have already discovered 33 elements; countless diverse objects in this world are composed of these tiny constituents!
"You see, that one is hydrogen, that one is oxygen, and this one is gold..."
"Ah, thank you for the explanation," Joseph said, finally snapping back to reality.
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't understand what elements were. Rather, he was astonished that Lavoisier and his contemporary chemists had conducted so much fruitful research relying on these 'wizard's rune'-like elemental symbols.
It suddenly occurred to him that he could perhaps help Lavoisier improve his research efficiency, potentially freeing up more time for the development of Mercury Fulminate.
He considered for a moment, then pointed to the element table on the wall. "Monsieur Lavoisier, do these symbols have any special significance in their design?"
Lavoisier paused, then shook his head. "There's nothing special about them, Your Highness. In fact, most of them are drawn according to traditional customs."
The "traditional customs" he referred to were, in fact, alchemy. In the early stages of chemical element research, many concepts, such as "phlogiston" (which Lavoisier disproved) and "wind elements," originated from alchemy. Thus, it was quite natural to directly use the elemental symbols from the alchemical era.
Joseph mused, "If they carry no special meaning, then why draw them so complicatedly?
"It might be much simpler if we were to directly use Latin letters to represent the elements. Ah, do you happen to have paper and a pen here?"
Lavoisier quickly gestured towards his study. "Over there, Your Highness."
Joseph followed him to the study on the second floor, picked up a pen, and wrote "C" and "O" on a piece of paper. "For example, these represent carbon and oxygen, respectively.
"Then, carbon dioxide..."
He recalled the 18th-century chemistry he had learned; what was now called carbon dioxide was then often referred to as carbonic acid. So he corrected himself, "Then carbonic acid could be written like this."
He then wrote "CO2," adding some symbols between the letters to make it "C+2O= CO2."
Lavoisier, standing beside him, immediately widened his eyes. "Your... your way of writing reaction processes... is indeed incredibly clear and concise!"
He glanced at the "wizard's runes" he had scribbled on a manuscript nearby, unable to hide his excitement. "I dare say, if students are taught using your notation, the time they spend in each class will be cut in half!"
Joseph added, "We can use the first letter of the Latin word for each element as its symbol, and if there's a duplication, use the first two letters. This not only makes writing more concise but also easier to remember."
"Precisely! Your suggestion is absolutely brilliant!"
Lavoisier pulled out a sheet of paper and quickly jotted down 33 letters in under 20 seconds, immediately becoming even more animated. "Your Highness, you are simply a genius... oh no, your mind must have been kissed by God Himself!
"If I were to use the old notation, I wouldn't even be halfway done in this amount of time, and it would be far less clear than using letters, especially when representing reaction processes. This will absolutely boost the efficiency of chemical research! Your Highness, may I incorporate this notation into my Treatise on Elementary Chemistry?"
"Of course," Joseph replied. He had proposed the use of letter-based elemental symbols precisely to accelerate the completion of the Treatise on Elementary Chemistry.
Seeing Lavoisier already engrossed in organizing the new symbols, he intended to take his leave. However, as he turned, he caught sight of a document on the corner of the table—"Recommendations Regarding the Standard of Length."
He casually picked up the mere three-page document and found it had been co-authored by Lavoisier and the mathematician Monge, addressed to the French Academy of Sciences. Its content recommended using the "meter" as the standard unit of length and urged the Academy to establish a "Standards Committee" as soon as possible.
It was then that Joseph recalled Lavoisier was slated to be a core member of the future "Standards Committee."
He himself had been wanting to promote the standardization of weights and measures in France, and the most suitable person to lead the effort was right before him!
Lavoisier looked up, seeing the Crown Prince examining his "Recommendations," and explained, "Your Highness, the use of units of measurement in the academic world is quite chaotic right now. This has a significant negative impact on everyone's research. For instance, scholars in Paris and Marseille wishing to discuss a problem must first waste half an hour just to agree on what measurement system to use."
Joseph nodded. "You are absolutely right! And it's not just the academic world; a lack of standardized measurements also creates many problems in practical production."
He placed the document back on the table, looking at Lavoisier. "I've heard that the preparations for the Academy's 'Standards Committee' are moving very slowly. If necessary, perhaps I can accelerate this matter.
"For example, I could address the funding issues, and the Royal House could establish the committee."
"That would be wonderful!" Lavoisier exclaimed, overjoyed. He had long grown weary of the Academy's sluggishness, and the Crown Prince's reputation for being young and competent had already spread throughout Paris. If the Crown Prince could oversee this matter, France would surely soon have its own standard unit of length.
"You have brought a beacon of hope to the French academic community!"
Joseph continued, "Furthermore, I hope we can use this opportunity to standardize not just units of length, but also those for mass, temperature, heat, and so on."
(End of chapter)
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