Guyton de Morveau published his first essay on a new chemical nomenclature in 1782, and actively debated with contemporary chemists to defend his new system. He joined and became a proponent of the Lavoisierian school of chemistry, which held that the old
Phlogiston theory was incorrect. He, together with
Antoine Lavoisier,
Claude Louis Berthollet, and
Antoine-François de Fourcroy, published the , which effectively established the modern standardized chemical nomenclature that is still in use in the 21st century. He became a first-class member of the
Académie des sciences in chemistry on 20 November 1795, and subsequently elected vice-president of the class (1806) and then president (1807). In 1798 he married
Claudine Picardet, a recently widowed friend and colleague. Under the
Directory, he served on the
Council of Five Hundred from 1797, elected from
Ille-et-Vilaine, and was
Treasury administrator of the
Consulate in 1799. In 1801 he wrote , which described methods of disinfection using vapors of
hydrochloric acid and
chlorine, based on his successful use of the methods at Dijon in 1773. In 1802 he heard that
James Carmichael Smyth had received a £5000 award from the
British Parliament for proving that mineral acids such as
nitric acid vapor were effective disinfectants, and applied for an award for himself, claiming that he discovered the method first. He was not successful, but some British scientists, such as
Richard Kirwan and
Thomas Beddoes, expressed agreement with him. He remained an active editor of
Annales de chimie until his death. Guyton de Morveau died in Paris on 2 January 1816. Smeaton says the following about his death: == Works ==