Question

Who is called the father of modern chemistry?
(A) Antoine Lavoisier
(B) Gilbert Lewis
(C) Gibbs
(D) Otto Hahn

Answer 1

Hint: A French chemist who developed an experimentally based theory of the chemical reactivity of oxygen. He co-authored the modern system for naming chemical substances.

Complete step by step answer:
Antoine Lavoisier is the father of modern chemistry. Let us see some accomplishments of Lavoisier. Lavoisier believed that matter was neither created nor destroyed in any chemical reaction. He was particularly intent on collecting and weighing all the substances involved in the reactions he studied. The fact that French chemistry students are still taught the conservation of mass as “Lavoisier’s law” is indicative of his success. In the early stages of his research Lavoisier regarded the phlogiston theory as a useful hypothesis, but he was also finding ways either to solidify its firm experimental foundation or to replace it with an experimentally sound theory of combustion. In the end his theory of oxygenation replaced the phlogiston hypothesis. It took many years for him to reach this goal. Gilbert Lewis was best known for his discovery of the covalent bond and his concept of electron pairs.
Gibbs made significant theoretical contributions to physics, chemistry, and mathematics.
Otto Hahn was a German chemist. He is a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry.

The correct option is option (A) Antoine Lavoisier.

Note: It is important to understand that Otto Hahn is regarded as the father of nuclear chemistry. However, do not get confused between nuclear chemistry and modern chemistry. Otto Hahn has made significant contributions in determining radioactive reactions as well as in the Otto engine named after him.