Natural philosopher and chemist — Robert Boyle (Lismore, Ireland 1627 – London 1691) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher and chemist, regarded as one of the fathers of modern experimental science. A champion of the experimental method and of a corpuscular view of matter, he opposed the vague alchemical theories of his time. With the aid of a vacuum pump he studied the behaviour of air and formulated the law that bears his name, according to which, at constant temperature, the pressure and volume of a gas are inversely proportional. In his work ‘The Sceptical Chymist’ he criticised the traditional doctrines of the elements, helping to transform alchemy into chemistry. He was among the founders of the Royal Society of London.
Trivia
He was among the members of the so-called ‘invisible college’, an informal group of scholars who met to discuss experimental science, from which the Royal Society officially arose in 1660.
Theories and contributions
- Boyle’s law — At constant temperature, the pressure-volume product of a gas is constant: .
Appears in chapters
Linked atoms
2 linked atoms.