▁of ▁those ▁mem oir s ▁have ▁surv ived ▁is ▁unknown ▁as ▁of ▁today ) ▁and ▁hosted ▁parties ▁at ▁which ▁em inent ▁scient ists ▁discussed ▁ideas ▁and ▁problems ▁related ▁to ▁chem istry . ▁ ▁A ▁portrait ▁of ▁Antoine ▁and ▁Marie - An ne ▁Lav ois ier ▁was ▁painted ▁by ▁the ▁f amed ▁artist ▁Jacques - Louis ▁David . ▁Comple ted ▁in ▁ 1 7 8 8 ▁on ▁the ▁e ve ▁of ▁the ▁Revolution , ▁the ▁painting ▁was ▁denied ▁a ▁custom ary ▁public ▁display ▁at ▁the ▁Paris ▁Sal on ▁for ▁fear ▁that ▁it ▁might ▁infl ame ▁anti - ar ist ocr atic ▁pass ions . ▁ ▁For ▁three ▁years ▁following ▁his ▁entry ▁into ▁the ▁F erme ▁générale , ▁Lav ois ier ' s ▁scientific ▁activity ▁dimin ished ▁somewhat , ▁for ▁much ▁of ▁his ▁time ▁was ▁taken ▁up ▁with ▁official ▁F erme ▁générale ▁business . ▁He ▁did , ▁however , ▁present ▁one ▁important ▁mem oir ▁to ▁the ▁Academy ▁of ▁Sciences ▁during ▁this ▁period , ▁on ▁the ▁supposed ▁conversion ▁of ▁water ▁into ▁earth ▁by ▁ev ap oration . ▁By ▁a ▁very ▁precise ▁quant itative ▁experiment , ▁Lav ois ier ▁showed ▁that ▁the ▁" ear thy " ▁sed iment ▁produced ▁after ▁long - cont in ued ▁re fl ux ▁he ating ▁of ▁water ▁in ▁a ▁glass ▁vessel ▁was ▁not ▁due ▁to ▁a ▁conversion ▁of ▁the ▁water ▁into ▁earth ▁but ▁rather ▁to ▁the ▁grad ual ▁dis integration ▁of ▁the ▁inside ▁of ▁the ▁glass ▁vessel ▁produced ▁by ▁the ▁bo iling ▁water . ▁He ▁also ▁attempted ▁to ▁introduce ▁re forms ▁in