Chapter 462 - 375: Busy Lavoisier

Chapter 462: Chapter 375: Busy Lavoisier

“If the high-temperature production of baking soda isn’t a problem…” Lavoisier pondered, “Oh, I just haven’t conducted the experiment of producing baking soda with ammonia, and it’s not that I doubt you, Your Highness.

“The other processes, such as collecting released ammonia and carbon dioxide, can all be achieved.”

The “carbon dioxide” he mentioned was in fact carbon dioxide.

He was clearly extremely excited, looking at Joseph, “Then using your method to produce soda, the cost will be only one-tenth of the current price…”

He wasn’t just the best chemist of his era, his business acumen was also not lacking, immediately shaking his head, “No, less than one-tenth, because this method has no raw material constraints, I mean, salt and lime are easy to obtain, making the production almost infinitely scalable!

“Your Highness, I must return to the laboratory immediately to verify the method you described.

“I swear, if this is feasible, it would absolutely be an epoch-making event in the history of chemistry!”

He wasn’t exaggerating in the least, as the three acids and two alkalis were pillars of the chemical industry, their importance self-evident. Of these five basic compounds, sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid were relatively easy to come by, and considering the standards of the 18th century, industrial production of nitric acid wasn’t even on the table. As such, soda ash became the star of the chemical industry in the 19th century.

In fact, previously the French Government had offered a large sum as a reward for the industrial production method of pure soda. The winner was Dr. Leblanc, who produced soda ash using the reverberatory furnace.

Although his method was expensive, it was still the cutting-edge technology of the era. However, if Joseph’s alkali process were to be put into production, it could completely obliterate his method.

As they were talking, the carriage stopped at the Tuileries Palace.

Lavoisier was ready to take his leave and return to the laboratory, but then Mirabeau, who was already waiting there, quickly approached and bowed to Joseph, “Your Highness, when I heard that you left the Palace of Versailles, I guessed that you might have come here.”

He had a heap of industrial development matters to report to Joseph, but the Crown Prince had been busy at the armory all this while, and as soon as he left the armory today, he disappeared.

“It seems you have quite a lot to discuss with me.” Joseph smiled and returned the bow.

“Indeed so.”

Mirabeau was about to head to the office of the Industrial Planning Bureau with the Crown Prince when he turned and noticed Lavoisier, hastily bowing in greeting, “Oh, esteemed Mr. Lavoisier, I didn’t realize you were here too.”

“Oh, yes, but I’m about to leave,” Lavoisier said, placing his hand on his chest in a bow. “His Highness has told me of a method for producing pure soda, and all I want now is to fly back to the laboratory.”

“Pure soda?” Mirabeau was familiar with Dupont and had some understanding of the chemical industry, “That’s really incredible. Pure soda is essential for many chemical industries.”

When Joseph heard the words “chemical industry,” he was immediately struck with an idea and pulled Lavoisier upstairs, “You don’t need to rush your experiment. If we’re going to get into the chemical industry, we definitely need the opinion of an expert like you.”

“But…”

Lavoisier entered the office of the Industrial Planning Bureau with some resistance, still pondering the “Royal Alkali Process”—the new name Joseph had given to the “Solvay process,” since Mr. Solvay had not yet been born at this time.

However, when he heard Joseph ask Mirabeau about the coal gas street lighting project, his attention was immediately captured.

“Then, we must expedite the progress of the supporting coal tar treatment laboratory,” Joseph said. “Mr. Murdoch obtained the patent for coal distillation last month, and we aim to commence the construction of Paris’s gas street lighting by the end of the year.”

With some difficulty, Mirabeau said, “Your Highness, I have actually purchased all the laboratory equipment according to the standards of the University of Paris lab, but the ‘benzene’ you mentioned, no chemist has heard of it…”

Joseph quickly looked toward Lavoisier, who also seemed puzzled.

He instantly felt a wave of helplessness. It appeared that the field of organic chemistry was still barren in this era, to the point where not even benzene, the most basic organic compound, had been discovered.

He had no choice but to patiently explain to Lavoisier that coal tar contained a large amount of benzene, as well as other organic compounds like aniline and phenol, and that they could try to refine these substances.

Lavoisier’s eyes immediately lit up, “Are you saying that there is a new substance in coal tar that we do not yet know about?”

“Yes, it is a bit complex,” Joseph said. He was at a loss as to where to begin with the introduction to organic chemistry, after all, it was a vast subject.

In the end, he decided to cut the Gordian knot and said, “If you distill coal tar, at different temperature ranges, you will obtain distillates containing benzene. Oh, and you will also discover some other new substances in this process.”

Lavoisier’s breathing quickened. As a chemist, discovering a new substance was enough to gain fame in the academic world, yet the Crown Prince casually informed him that simple operations could yield multiple new substances!

It was either His Highness was talking nonsense, or it must be divine revelation!

He instinctively made the sign of the cross on his chest and eagerly said, “Your Highness, please entrust the coal tar experiment to me!”

Joseph replied with some difficulty, “I would very much like your help, but you also need to help me design the soda ash production process.”

“This…” Lavoisier was unwilling to give up and hurriedly said, “I could have my wife assist. Please believe me, she has an extremely high level of experimental skill. Oh, and I have many excellent students, we will certainly not delay the production of the Royal Alkali Process!”

A smile immediately appeared on Joseph’s face. With Lavoisier, his wife, and his students on board, it meant that nearly half of France’s chemical elite had joined his project.

He nodded to Lavoisier and said, “Since you’re so interested, I’ll entrust the management of the coal tar laboratory to you. You can apply directly to Count Mirabeau for the necessary funds.”

Coal tar could be refined to produce a large number of valuable compounds like aniline and phenol, which could be used to manufacture disinfectants, dyes, fragrances, and pharmaceuticals.

Especially the first two. As the earliest medical disinfectant, phenol saved countless lives—it was much cheaper than alcohol, after all, it was a by-product of waste utilization from coal tar, and could be used for large-scale disinfection of entire buildings or camps.

As for aniline, a raw material for dye production, its economic value was simply enormous. Keep in mind, the purple dye extracted from plants, used in the fashion industry, was so expensive that it often cost more than the clothing itself!

Even for the nobility at the Palace of Versailles, wearing a garment entirely in purple was a matter of prestige. It wasn’t until aniline purple, made from aniline, that purple clothing finally became accessible to ordinary people.

If this dye were to be produced, it would also become a powerful tool for France to compete with England in the textile industry!

Joseph brought his reverie to a halt. The organic chemistry industry was still a distant dream—Lavoisier didn’t even know what benzene was, and it was uncertain how long it would take to transform this knowledge into an industry. The immediate priority was to establish soda ash production quickly, use soda ash to build a chemical industrial chain, and obtain profits from it—that was the urgent task at hand.