Boyle, Robert (1627–1691), British physicist. Considered one of
the fathers of modern chemistry, Boyle is known especially for
his pioneering experiments on the properties of gases. In 1662
he published his findings stating the relation concerning the
compression and expansion of a gas at constant temperature
(Boyle's law). Boyle also wrote the first English treatise on
electricity and espoused the theory that matter is corpuscular
in composition. This theory was an important forerunner of
modern chemical theory.