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Systême de Chimie de M. Th. Thomson, Professeur a l'Université d'Edimbourg; Traduit de l'Anglais sur la Dernière Édition de 1807; Par M. Jn. Riffault; Précédé d'une Introduction de M. C. L. Berthollet, membre de l'Institut. Paris, Mad. Ve. Bernard, Librairie, Quai des Augustins, No. 25. 1809. First French Edition. Complete in 9 volumes. Full leather bindings (Vols. I-VII) & half-leather marbled bindings (Vols. VIII & IX) measuring 8 x 5", 8vos. In fair condition. Full leather boards normally scuffed at edges and worn/bumped at corners. Water dampness staining to top edges of front and rear boards of Vol. II & front board of Vol. I (visible throughout text-blocks). Leather chipped on front board of Vol. I, board exposed. Heads of Vols. VIII & IX spines lacking (headbands remain, but Vol. VIII's is broken). Title and volume labels lacking on Vols. VIII & IX. Gilt lettering and deco on Vols. I-VII dulled; barely legible. All edges of text-blocks marbled on Vols. I-VII. Text-blocks normally toned; mostly at edges of leaves. Hinges of Vols. VIII & IX are fragile, but remain intact. Some instances of light age-staining throughout text-blocks. All bindings intact. Please see photos and ask questions, if any, before purchasing. Thomas Thomson (1773 1852) was a Scottish chemist and mineralogist whose writings contributed to the early spread of Dalton's atomic theory. His scientific accomplishments include the invention of the saccharometer and he gave silicon its current name. He served as president of the Philosophical Society of Glasgow. In 1796, Thomson succeeded his brother, James, as assistant editor of the Supplement to the Third Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1801), contributing the articles Chemistry, Mineralogy, and Vegetable, animal and dyeing substances. The Mineralogy article contained the first use of letters as chemical symbols. In 1802, Thomson used these articles as the basis of his book System of Chemistry. His book Elements of Chemistry, published in 1810, displayed how volumes of different gasses react in a way that is supported by the atomic theory. In 1802 he began teaching Chemistry in Edinburgh. In 1805 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Robert Jameson, William Wright, and Thomas Charles Hope. Jean René Denis Riffault (Translator, 1752 - 1826) is a French chemist, administrator and politician. In 1786, Lavoisier entrusted him with the management of the national powder mill of Ripault in Monts, which had just been created. He also took political responsibilities at the departmental level: he was head of the directory of the department of Indre-et-Loire in 1793 and then of the canton of Montbazon under the Directory. He distinguished himself by research on the improvement of powder manufacturing techniques, studies which were requested of him by Bertrand Pelletier, which led him to leave Ripault to become in Paris, in 1797, one of the powder administrators and saltpeters, a function which would be confirmed under Napoleon I. He maintains links with Freemasonry since he represents, to the Grand Orient of France, the Touraine lodge of the Perfect Union. He also sat on the Council of Elders from 1798 to 1800 for the department of Indre-et-Loire. He lost his position as powder and saltpeter administrator during a reform of this administration in 1817 and from then on devoted himself to the translation and writing of chemical works. He died on February 7, 1826 in Paris. Complete set! First French Edition. RAREF1809EPQX 07/24 - HK1905 FORN-SHELF-0465-BB-2411-HKREV255.
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