Guillaume-François Rouelle

Guillaume François Rouelle (16 September 1703 – 3 August 1770) was a French chemist and apothecary. In 1754 he introduced the concept of a base into chemistry, as a substance which reacts with an acid to give it solid form (as a salt).

He is known as l'Aîné (the elder) to distinguish him from his younger brother, Hilaire Rouelle, who was also a chemist and known as the discoverer of urea.

He started a public course in his laboratory in 1738 where he taught many students among whom were Denis Diderot, Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, Joseph Proust and Antoine-Augustin Parmentier.

He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1749.

Further reading

• Franckowiak, Rémi (2003). "Rouelle, un vrai-faux anti-newtonien". Archives internationales d'histoire des sciences. 53 (150-151): 240–255. 
• Franckowiak, Rémi (2002). "Les sels neutres de Guillaume-François Rouelle". Revue d'Histoire des Sciences. 55 (4): 493–532. 
• Jensen, William B. (2006). "The origin of the term "base"". The Journal of Chemical Education. 83 (8): 1130. doi:10.1021/ed083p1130. 
• Lemay, Pierre; Oesper, Ralph E. (1954). "The lectures of Guillaume Francois Rouelle". The Journal of Chemical Education. 31 (7): 338. doi:10.1021/ed031p338. 
• Warolin, C. (1996). "Did Lavoisier benefit from the teachings of the apothecary Guillaume-François Rouelle?". Histoire des sciences médicales. 30 (1): 30. PMID 11624829. 
• Warolin, C. (1995). "Did Lavoisier benefit from the teachings of the apothecary Guillaume-François Rouelle?". Revue d'histoire de la pharmacie. 42 (307): 361–367. PMID 11624913.