modern discoveries. The opening of the text includes a preliminary discourse where Lavoisier discusses the motivation behind his work, initially intended to enhance chemical nomenclature, but transforming into a broader treatise on elementary chemistry. He emphasizes the interconnections between language, thought, and scientific inquiry, arguing that precise terminology is vital for the advancement of chemical knowledge. By methodically presenting facts and concepts, Lavoisier seeks to aid beginners in their understanding of chemistry—starting from familiar observations about states of matter and the effects of heat and pressure on substances, he lays the groundwork for his systematic analysis in the following chapters. (This is an automatically generated summary.)