Vitiated airs, deflogisticated marine acids, phloxes, calxes, terequeous exhalations, phloxes, calxes, terqueous exhalations, and, above all, phlogiston, the substance that was thought to be the active agent in combustion.
They had all this combining ratios and then, you know, and then there was phlogiston … And one thing after another there were no atoms and no bonds, no wonder the poor bastards were lost!