(Born: St. Sèver, Départment Landes, France, 7 September 1725; Died: Paris, France, 13 February 1801) French physician & chemist.

D'Arcet (or Darcet) was a Liège surgeon who became intested in science, especially chemistry. He was appointed professor of chemistry at the Collége de France, and became inspector of the Gobelin's dye works. Eventually he succeeded P.J. Macquer and became director of the Sèvres porcelain works.

Biographical references: Biographie Universelle: 10, 129. • DSB: 3, 560-1. • Ferguson, Bibliotheca Chemica, 1906: 1, 40. • Poggendorff: 1, col. 521. • World Who's Who in Science: 408.

Memoire, 1766

1. French, 1766.
Memoire | Sur L'Action | D'Un Feu Egal, Violent, | Et continué pendant plusieurs jours sur un | grand nombre de Terres, de Pierres & de | Chaux Métalliques essayées pour la plu- | part telles qu'elles sortent du sein de la | Terre. | Lu à l'Académie Royale des Sciences les 16 & 28 | Mai 1766. | Par M. D'Arcet, Docteur Régent de la | Faculté de Médecine de Paris. | [ornament] | A Paris, | Chez P.G. Cavelier, Libraire, rue | Saint Jacques, au Lys d'or. | [double rule] | M. DCC. LXVI. | Avec Approbation & permission.

8°: A-G⁸ H⁵; 61l.; [1]-122 p.

Contents: [1-2], Title page, verso blank.; [3]-[4], "Avertissement."; [5]-107, Text.; 108-122, "Extrait des Registres de l'Academie Royale des Sciences. Du 14. Juin 1766."

Rare. Under the patronage of the Comté de Lauraguais, a pupil of the elder Rouelle and a pioneer in the French efforts to duplicate the porcelain of Meissen, D'Arcet had been exploring the effects of high heat on a wide variety of mineral substances. Continuing and expanding the work of J.H. Pott [which see], the author here examines the fusibilites of many minerals, including talc, various carbonates, gypsum, quartz, etc. The results of these experiments are contained in this paper, Mémoire sur l'Action d'un Feu Égal, which was in large measure responsible for the growth of the French glass and pottery industry. D'Arcet in fact was the first in France to manufacture true porcelain. Also, contained with in this book, is the author's description of the combustibility of diamond, and an account of his classification system of minerals.

Bibliographical references: Beckmann P.Ö.B.: 8 (1766), 83. • Berlinische Sammlungen: 3 (1766), 623-4 [review]. • BL [990.g.8.(1.) Arcet]. • Bolton, Bibliography of Chemistry, 1893: 388. • Cole, Chemical Literature, 1988: no. 335. • Duveen, Bibliotheca Alchemica et Chemica, 1965: p. 157. • Edelstein, Catalog of the History of Chemistry, 1981: no. 669. • Ferguson, Bibliotheca Chemica, 1906: 1, 40 [under Arcet]. • Gatterer, Mineralogischen Literatur, 1798-9: 1, 149. • Göttingische gelehrte Anzeigen: 1766, p. 1245 [review]. • Guerlac, ??, Lavoisier-the crucial year. Cornell, 195??: p. 79. • Hoefer, Histoiré de la Chimie, 1866-9: 2, 531. • Journal des Scavans: Nov., 1766, 232-43 [review]. • LKG: XI 2. • Neu, Chemical, Medical & Pharmaceutical Books, 1965: no. 1092. • Partington, History of Chemistry, 1961-70: 3, 104. • Roller & Goodman, Catalogue, 1976: 1, 278. • Sinkankas, Gemology Bibliography, 1993: no. 1573. • Wellcome Catalog (Books): 2, 53 [under Arcet].

2. French, 1771 [2nd Mémoire].
Second Mémoire | Sur L'Action | D'Un Feu Égal, Violent, | Et Continué Pendant Plusieurs Jours, | Sur un grand nombre de Terres, de Pierres | & de Chaux Métalliques, essayées pour | la plupart telles qu'elles sortent du sein | de la Terre. | Lu à l'Académie Royale des Sciences les 7 | & 11 Mai 1768. | Par M. D'Arcet, Docteur Règent de la | Faculté de Médicine de Paris. | [ornament] | A Paris, | Chez P.G. Cavelier, Libraire, rue | Saint Jacques, au Lys d'or. | [ornate rule] | M. DCC. LXXI. | Avec Approbation & Permission.

8°: a³ A-K⁸ L⁵; 88l.; [i]-vj, [1]-170 p.

Rare. This second Mémoire describes another long series of fusibility tests on mineral substances. Here, many semi-precious and precious stones are subjected to treatment, including agates, jaspers, alabaster, marble, jade, malachite, lapis lazuli, beryls and most especially diamond.

Bibliographical references: Sinkankas, Gemology Bibliography, 1993: no. 1574.

3. French, 1776.
Discours en forme de dissertation sur l'etat actuel des montagnes des Pyrenees et sur causes de leur degradation. Paris, 1776.

8°: Very scarce.

Bibliographical references: LKG: XIV 386.

4. German, 1779.
Abhandlung über die Pyrenaischen Gebirge ... Berlin, 1779.

8°: Very scarce.

Bibliographical references: LKG: XIV 387a.

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