Phlogiston Theory
- developed by Johann
Becher (1635-1682) & Georg Stahl (1660-1734) and became the dominant view of combustion
in the 1700's
- phlogiston = a
combustible "fatty earth"
- combustible materials
released phlogiston into the air when they burned
- people released phlogiston
into the air when they breathed
- when the air in a container
became saturated with phlogiston, combustion or breathing became impossible
- a comprehensive theory
Examples of combustion:
charcoal --> ash + phlogiston
metal --> metal calx + phlogiston
metal calx + charcoal --> metal + ash
The last example involved a transfer of
phlogiston.
Black