Abstract

WISNIAK, Jaime. Charles Cagniard de Latour. Educ. quím [online]. 2023, vol.34, n.1, pp.233-244.  Epub May 26, 2023. ISSN 0187-893X.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fq.18708404e.2023.1.79230.

Charles Cagniard de la Tour (1777-1859) was a French physicist and chemist that carried a detailed study of the phase transformation of a saturated liquid under the influence of pressure and temperature and proved that inside a sealed glass tube the fluid would become first a saturated vapor, and then turn continuously into superheated vapor, no matter what the pressure. He discovered the existence of a critical point, without using this concept. Cagniard de la Tour used a microscope to investigate the phenomenon of fermentation, particularly by beer yeast, its causes, and effects, and proved that it was caused by a living organism and was not a pure chemical reaction. He also studied the pyrolysis of woody matter in a sealed atmosphere and showed that it resulted in the formation of tarry and sticky carbonaceous material, accompanied by a gas atmosphere.

Keywords : Tar; fermentation; wood pyrolysis; critical point.