Louis Lefèvre-Gineau
Encyclopedia
Louis Lefèvre-Gineau born at Authe
(Ardennes
), was a French chemist
and scientist
.
Of modest origins, a village elder approached d'Étrépigny
to give this intelligent child the basics of knowledge that permitted him to shine in the studies of chemistry
and of physics
that he pursued at Reims
then at Paris
.
Beginning work with Lavoisier
, he studied with him the chemical composition of water
. A Deputy
under the French revolution
, he was a member of the commission charged to define the metric system
and it is he who determined the mass
of the kilogram
.
From 1786 to 1823, he occupied the chair in mechanics, then general and experimental physics, at the Collège de France
, where he was the administrator from 1800 to 1823. He was made a member of the Académie des sciences in 1795. He was made a knight of Ainelle under Napoleon's Empire
, in 1808.
in 1825, he built, in the guise of a retreat at Étrépigny
a charming little neo-gothic chateau. He died in 1829, exactly 100 years after another illustrious citizen of the village: the curate Jean Meslier
.
Authe
Authe is a commune in the Ardennes department in France.-Population:...
(Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
), was a French chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
.
Of modest origins, a village elder approached d'Étrépigny
Étrépigny
Étrépigny is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region in northern France.-References:*...
to give this intelligent child the basics of knowledge that permitted him to shine in the studies of chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and of physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
that he pursued at Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
then at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Beginning work with Lavoisier
Antoine Lavoisier
Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier , the "father of modern chemistry", was a French nobleman prominent in the histories of chemistry and biology...
, he studied with him the chemical composition of water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. A Deputy
Deputy (legislator)
A deputy is a legislator in many countries, particularly those with legislatures styled as a 'Chamber of Deputies' or 'National Assembly'.-List of countries:This is an list of countries using the term 'deputy' or one of its cognates....
under the French revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, he was a member of the commission charged to define the metric system
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
and it is he who determined the mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
of the kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
.
From 1786 to 1823, he occupied the chair in mechanics, then general and experimental physics, at the Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
, where he was the administrator from 1800 to 1823. He was made a member of the Académie des sciences in 1795. He was made a knight of Ainelle under Napoleon's Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
, in 1808.
in 1825, he built, in the guise of a retreat at Étrépigny
Étrépigny
Étrépigny is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region in northern France.-References:*...
a charming little neo-gothic chateau. He died in 1829, exactly 100 years after another illustrious citizen of the village: the curate Jean Meslier
Jean Meslier
Jean Meslier was a French Catholic priest who was discovered, upon his death, to have written a book-length philosophical essay promoting atheism. Described by the author as his "testament" to his parishioners, the text denounces all religion.-Life:Jean Meslier was born in Mazerny in the Ardennes...
.