Pierre-Joseph Macquer: Chemistry in the French Enlightenment

Despite recent studies of chemistry courses and of academic research at the beginning of the eighteenth century, the perception of chemistry in the French Enlightenment has often been overshadowed by Lavoisier's works. This article proposes three specific case studies selected from Pierre Joseph Macquer's (1718-84) rich career to show the continuous evolution of chemistry throughout the century: medicinal chemistry through the application of the Comte de La Garaye's metallic salt solutions, the emergence of industrial chemistry through a few of Macquer's evaluations at the Bureau du Commerce, and finally communal academic research through the experiments on diamonds using Tschirnhaus's lens. These examples attempt to illustrate the innovative, creative, dynamic, multicultural, and multifaceted chemistry of the Enlightenment.