Dumas, Jean Baptiste André

Dumas, Jean Baptiste André

(zhäN bätēst` äNdrā` dümä`), 1800–1884, French organic chemist. He was distinguished for his researches on atomic weights, esters, vapor densities, the oxidation products of alcohols, and the laws of substitution. He taught in several institutions, including the Sorbonne; served as minister of agriculture and commerce, as senator, and as vice president of the High Council of Education; and in 1868 became perpetual secretary of the Academy of Sciences. His works include Traité de chimie appliquée aux arts (8 vol., 1828–45).