DUMAS, JEAN BAPTISTE-ANDRE & J.S. STAS. - THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF CARBON ESTABLISHED.

Recherches sur la véritable poids atomiques du carbone. (Lu à l'Academie des Sciences, le 21 décembre 1840).

Paris, Fortin, Masson et Cie, 1841. 8vo. Contemp. hcalf, raised bands, gilt spine. Light wear along edges. Small stamps on verso of titlepage. In: "Annales de Chimie et de Physique", 3e Series - Tome 1. 512 pp. a. 3 folded engraved plates (showing experimental apparatus).Small stamp to verso of plates. (The entire volume offered). Dumas & Stas' paper: pp. 1-59. Clean and fine.

First appearance in full of this paper, stating the correct weight of the carbon atom, which had profound influence on the development of organic chemistry. The first announcement (in extrait) came out in Comptes rendus, Tome Xi, 1840.

"From 1840 onward he carried out an important revision of the atomic weights of thirty elements. His most valuable contribution in this field was his very precise determination of the atomic weight of carbon (jointly with his pupil Stas) in 1840.2 A previously accepted weight, determined by Berzelius as C = 12.20 (O = 16), was shown to be incorrect. Dumas proved that C = 12±.002 (O = 16) or C = 75 (O = 100). The analysis was made by burning diamond and artificial and natural graphite in oxygen; the carbon dioxide formed was weighed in potash solution. The results were in close agreement. The "new" weight of carbon had a great effect on the progress of organic chemistry."(DSB).

The volume contains further notable papers by Gerhardt et Cahours "Recherches chimiques sur les huiles essentitielles", pp. 60-110, by Laurent, Boussingault, Regnault, Dulong, Melloni et al.

Order-nr.: 44902