Antoine Baumé (26 February 172815 October 1804) was a French

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

Antoine Baumé 1770 Memoire sur les argilles

Life

He was born at

Senlis Senlis () is a commune in the northern French department of Oise, Hautes de France. The monarchs of the early French dynasties lived in Senlis, attracted by the proximity of the Chantilly forest. It is known for its Gothic cathedral and other h ...

. He was apprenticed to the chemist Claude Joseph Geoffroy, and in 1752 was admitted a member of the École de Pharmacie, where in the same year he was appointed professor of chemistry. The money he made in a business he carried on in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

for dealing in chemical products enabled him to retire in 1780 in order to devote himself to applied chemistry, but, ruined in the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, he was obliged to return to a commercial career. He devised many improvements in technical processes, e.g. for bleaching silk,

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...

gilding Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

, purifying

saltpetre Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Indian saltpetre (large deposits of which were historically mined in India). It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitra ...

, etc., but he is best known as the inventor of the

Baumé scale The Baumé scale is a pair of hydrometer scales developed by French pharmacist Antoine Baumé in 1768 to measure density of various liquids. The unit of the Baumé scale has been notated variously as ''degrees Baumé'', ''B°'', ''Bé°'' and simpl ...

hydrometer A hydrometer or lactometer is an instrument used for measuring density or relative density of liquids based on the concept of buoyancy. They are typically calibrated and graduated with one or more scales such as specific gravity. A hydrometer ...

or "spindle" which provides scientific measurements for the density of liquids. The scale remains associated with his name but is often improperly spelt "Beaumé". Of the numerous books and papers he wrote the most important is his ''Éléments de pharmacie théorique et pratique'' (9 editions, 1762–1818). He became a member of the

Academy of Sciences An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unite ...

in 1772, and an associate of the

Institute An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...

in 1796. He died in Paris on 15 October 1804.

Works

* * ''Eléments de Pharmacie théorique et pratique'' . Samson, Paris Nouvelle Ed. 177
Digital edition
/ 3rd ed. 177
Digital edition
/ 4th ed. 177
Digital edition
/ 5th ed. 178
Digital edition
by the

University and State Library Düsseldorf The University and State Library Düsseldorf (german: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of t ...

(9 editions, from 1762 to 1818) ** * ''Manuel de chymie ou exposé des opérations de la chymie et de leurs produits'', 1763 ** * ''Erläuterte Experimental-Chimie . Band 2'' . Fritsch, Leipzig 177
Digital edition
by the

* * * * * * Baumé, Antoine – Chymie expérimentale et raisonnée, 1773 – BEIC 8606690.jpg, ''Chymie expérimentale et raisonnée'', vol. 1, 1773

References

Attribution: * 1728 births 1804 deaths 18th-century French chemists Members of the French Academy of Sciences People from Senlis {{france-chemist-stub