Antoine Lavoisier was a French chemist who is often called the "Father of Modern Chemistry". In the 18th century, he made a groundbreaking contribution to our understanding of chemical reactions, particularly combustion.
Before Lavoisier, scientists believed in the phlogiston theory, which suggested that a substance called phlogiston was released during burning. Lavoisier challenged this theory by demonstrating that combustion is actually a chemical reaction involving oxygen. He showed that when substances burn, they combine with oxygen from the air, which was a revolutionary concept at the time.
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