although it had been tottering for some time, had not been
completely overthrown.

In 1787 Lavoisier, in conjunction with Guyon de Morveau,
Berthollet, and Fourcroy, introduced the reform in chemical
nomenclature which until then had remained practically unchanged
since alchemical days. Such expressions as "dephlogisticated" and
"phlogisticated" would obviously have little meaning to a
generation who were no longer to believe in the existence of
phlogiston. It was appropriate that a revolution in chemical
thought should be accompanied by a corresponding revolution in
chemical names, and to Lavoisier belongs chiefly the credit of
bringing about this revolution. In his Elements of Chemistry he
made use of this new nomenclature, and it seemed so clearly an
improvement over the old that the scientific world hastened to
adopt it. In this connection Lavoisier says: "We have,
therefore, laid aside the expression metallic calx altogether,
and have substituted in its place the word oxide. By this it may
be seen that the language we have adopted is both copious and
expressive. The first or lowest degree of oxygenation in bodies
converts them into oxides; a second degree of additional
oxygenation constitutes the class of acids of which the specific
names drawn from their particular bases terminate in ous, as in
the nitrous and the sulphurous acids. The third degree of
oxygenation changes these into the species of acids distinguished
by the termination in ic, as the nitric and sulphuric acids; and,
lastly, we can express a fourth or higher degree of oxygenation
by adding the word oxygenated to the name of the acid, as has
already been done with oxygenated muriatic acid."[9]