6 5 ) ▁had ▁previously ▁expressed ▁similar ▁ideas ▁in ▁ 1 7 4 8 ▁and ▁proved ▁them ▁in ▁experiments ; ▁others ▁whose ▁ideas ▁pre - date ▁the ▁work ▁of ▁Lav ois ier ▁include ▁Jean ▁Rey ▁( 1 5 8 3 – 1 6 4 5 ), ▁Joseph ▁Black ▁( 1 7 2 8 – 1 7 9 9 ), ▁and ▁Henry ▁Cav end ish ▁( 1 7 3 1 – 1 8 1 0 ). ▁ ▁Chem ical ▁nom en cl ature ▁Lav ois ier , ▁together ▁with ▁Louis - B ern ard ▁Guy ton ▁de ▁Mor ve au , ▁Claude - Louis ▁Ber th ol let , ▁and ▁Antoine ▁François ▁de ▁Four c roy , ▁submitted ▁a ▁new ▁program ▁for ▁the ▁re forms ▁of ▁chemical ▁nom en cl ature ▁to ▁the ▁Academy ▁in ▁ 1 7 8 7 , ▁for ▁there ▁was ▁virt ually ▁no ▁rational ▁system ▁of ▁chemical ▁nom en cl ature ▁at ▁this ▁time . ▁This ▁work , ▁titled ▁Mé th ode ▁de ▁nom en cl ature ▁chim ique ▁( Method ▁of ▁Chem ical ▁N omen cl ature , ▁ 1 7 8 7 ), ▁introduced ▁a ▁new ▁system ▁which ▁was ▁tied ▁in ext ric ably ▁to ▁Lav ois ier ' s ▁new ▁o xygen ▁theory ▁of ▁chem istry . ▁The ▁Class ical ▁elements ▁of ▁earth , ▁air , ▁fire , ▁and ▁water ▁were ▁disc arded , ▁and ▁instead ▁some ▁ 5 5 ▁subst ances ▁which ▁could ▁not ▁be ▁decom posed ▁into ▁simpler ▁subst ances ▁by ▁any ▁known ▁chemical ▁means