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![Infographic image on Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794). Lavoisier is considered the ‘father of modern chemistry’. He discovered oxygen’s role in combustion, described the conservation of mass in reactions, and played an important part in reforming nomenclature in chemistry. He married Marie-Anne Paulze, who observed and recorded notes on their experiments, translated important texts for Lavoisier, and illustrated and spread word of their work. Lavoisier died by the guillotine during the French Revolution.](https://i0.wp.com/www.compoundchem.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/08-26-–-Antoine-Lavoisiers-birthday.png?resize=1170%2C1170&ssl=1)
Today marks the birthday of Antoine Lavoisier, one of the key figures in chemistry history and often referred to as ‘the father of modern chemistry’. This short graphic takes a look at some of his key contributions to chemical understanding and the system of naming chemical substances we still use today.
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The Bunsen burner is one of the ubiquitous symbols of chemistry. Though it might be a rarer sight in university laboratories these days, due to some of the highly flammable substances used, they’re still very commonly found in school science classrooms, and for most of us probably bring back memories of school science lessons. As today is Bunsen Burner Day, this graphic takes a quick look at the burner’s anatomy, and we’ll discuss its history in a little more detail below.
![Today in Chemistry History graphic on Ahmed Zewail (born 26 Feb 1946). Zewail was a Nobel Prize-winning chemist who pioneered work on femtochemistry, using laser flashes to detect the movements of individual atoms during chemical reactions. A diagram shows how ultrafast laser spectroscopy uses an initial laser pulse to trigger a reaction and a second pulse to detect changes.](https://i0.wp.com/www.compoundchem.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/02-26-Ahmed-Zewails-birthday-and-femtochemistry.png?resize=370%2C208&ssl=1)
On this day (26 February) in 1946, Egyptian-American chemist Ahmed Zewail was born. Zewail pioneered femtochemistry, the use of laser pulses to see the movement of individual atoms during chemical reactions. This graphic gives an overview of the ultrafast laser spectroscopy that makes this possible.
![Today in Chemistry History infographic on Svante Arrhenius, highlighting his work on the Arrhenius equation which shows the relationship between the temperature of a chemical reaction and its rate. The equation is shown and its various elements defined.](https://i0.wp.com/www.compoundchem.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/02-19-Svante-Arrhenius-birthday.png?resize=370%2C208&ssl=1)
Svante Arrhenius was born on this day (19 February) in 1859. He’s famous for his eponymous equation and for suggesting in 1896 that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere might affect the Earth’s climate. He also clarified our understanding of solution chemistry and acids and bases.