Pierre Bayen (7 February 1725–14 February 1798) was a French chemist.
He analyzed water drunk by the Kingdom of France, and he wrongly suggested that using pewter glasses rendered the water toxic.
He became a member of the
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at the ...
in 1785 and the
Institut de France
The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...
in 1795.
He burned all his papers during the
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...
of 1793-1794.
The Lycée Pierre Bayen in Chalons was named in his memory.
References
1725 births
1798 deaths
People from Châlons-en-Champagne
18th-century French chemists
Members of the French Academy of Sciences
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