CHAPTAL, JEAN ANTOINE CLAUDE, COMTE DE CHANTELOUP (1756-1832), French chemist and statesman, was born in Nogaret, Lozere, on June 4, 1756. The son of an apothe cary, he studied chemistry at Montpellier. In 1781 the States of Languedoc founded a chair of chemistry for him at the school of medicine in Montpellier, where he taught the doctrines of Lavoisier. The capital he acquired by the death of a wealthy uncle he employed in the establishment of chemical works for the manufacture of the mineral acids, alum, white-lead, soda and other substances. During the Revolution he undertook, in 1793, the management of the saltpetre works at Grenelle. In the following year he went to Montpellier, where he remained till 1797, when he returned to Paris. After the coup d'etat of the 18th of Bru maire (Nov. 9, 1 i 99) he was made a councillor of State by the First Consul, and succeeded Lucien Bonaparte as minister of the interior, in which capacity he established a chemical manufac tory near Paris, a school of arts, and a society of industries ; he also reorganized the hospitals and introduced the metric system of weights and measures. A misunderstanding between him and Napoleon (who conferred upon him the title of comte de Chante loup) occasioned Chaptal's retirement from office in 1804; but before the end of that year he was again received into favour. On Napoleon's return from Elba, Chaptal was made director-general of commerce and manufactures and a minister of State. He con tributed largely to the development of modern industry by the application of the science of chemistry to technical ends. Chaptal wrote many works on applied chemistry, and treatises on the technical aspects of the dyeing industry, etc. He died at Paris on July 3o, 1832.