Lavoisier's list of chemical elements with his new names for them (left) and their old names (right), from his 'Traite Elementaire de Chimie' (Elementary Treatise of Chemistry, 1789). French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794) is recognised as the founder of modern chemistry. His list of 33 substances included chemicals that would be shown not to be elements. Forms of energy: heat (calorique) and light (lumiere) are grouped with 3 gases: oxygen, nitrogen (azote) and hydrogen. Then 3 non-metals (sulphur, phosphorus and carbon) are followed by 3 compounds (radicals) of chlorine (muriatique), fluorine and boron. 17 metals retain their old names. The list ends with 5 oxides of calcium, magnesium, barium, aluminium and silicon.