Robert Boyle was a famous Anglo Irish scientist who transformed chemistry in the 17th century. Till then, chemistry was confined to alchemy and mysticism. Alchemy was the study of how to change basic substances such as metals into other more valuable substances. Boyle made chemistry a science based on measurement. He defined elements, compounds and mixtures and he coined the new term ‘chemical analysis,’ a field in which he made several contributions. Robert Boyle is most famous for Boyle’s Law. It was the first of the gas laws linking the pressure of a gas to its volume. He established that electrical forces are transmitted through a vacuum, but sound is not. Boyle also stated that the movement of particles is responsible for heat. He was the first person to write specific experimental guidance for other scientists, telling them the importance of achieving reliable results. He was indeed a ‘mighty chemist’. Robert Boyle is regarded as the first modern chemist, and is referred to as one of the founders of modern chemistry.
