phlogiston weakened the repulsion between substance particles and ether

An example of an (historical) idea suggested by a scientist which wold now be considered an alternative conception:

"One German chemist, Pott, suggested that the departure of the phlogiston increased the density of the substance which had held it, and J. Ellicott in 1780 put forward the view that its presence in a body 'weakened the repulsion between the particles and ether', thereby 'diminishing their mutual gravitation'."

Herbert Butterfield (1957) The Origins of Modern Science 1300-1800 (New Edition: Revised and enlarged). G. Bell and Sons Ltd., London.

Author: Keith

Former school and college science teacher, teacher educator, research supervisor, and research methods lecturer. Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.