BARON (173 7-1816), French chemist, was born on Jan. 4, at Dijon. He studied law at Dijon, and became advocate-general in the parlement, until 1782. He devoted his leisure to chemistry, and in 1772 published Digressions academiques, containing his views on phlogiston, crystallization, etc. An essay on chemical nomenclature in the Journal de physique for May 1782 was de veloped, with the aid of A. L. Lavoisier, C. L. Berthollet and A. F. Fourcroy, into the Methode d'une nomenclature chimique (1787), the principles of which were adopted by chemists through out Europe. He adopted Lavoisier's views on combustion and published his reasons in the first volume of the section "Chymie, Pharmacie et Metallurgie" of the Encyclopedie methodique (1786), the chemical articles in which were written by him. In 1791 he was elected member of the Legislative Assembly, and in 1792 and 1795 of the Convention. He was master of the mint from 1800 to 1814. In 1811 he was made baron of the French empire. He died in Paris on Jan. 2, 1816.
In addition to many scientific papers, Guyton wrote Memoire sur l'education publique (1762) ; a satirical poem entitled Le Rat icono claste, on le Jesuite croque (1763) ; Discours publics et eloges (1775 82) ; Plaidoyers sur plusieurs questions de droit (1785) ; and Traite des moyens de desinfecter fair (18o1), describing the disinfecting powers of chlorine, and of hydrochloric acid gas which he had successfully used at Dijon in 1773. With Hugues Maret (1726-1785) and Jean Francois Durande (d. 1794) he also published the Elemens de chymie tlaeorique et pratique (1776-1777).