Richard Kirwan's phlogiston theory: its success and fate.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

First proposed in the early 1780s, Richard Kirwan's phlogiston theory was the most successful enunciation of the English pneumatic approach to phlogiston. Phlogiston was identified with a material substance, inflammable air. In this paper, I explore the nature of Kirwan's theory, its success in the mid-1780's, the unprecedented collective attack on Kirwan's Essay on Phlogiston by Lavoisier and his colleagues, and Kirwan's ultimate abandonment of phlogistic explanation.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Mauskopf, S

Published Date

  • November 2002

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 49 / 3

Start / End Page

  • 185 - 205

PubMed ID

  • 12833914

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1745-8234

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0002-6980

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1179/amb.2002.49.3.185

Language

  • eng