As a student, Guyton met Voltaire, who later praised a parliamentary speech of his. Hachette accompanied him into battle (during which Guyton took to the air in a balloon), while Buffon encouraged his interest in science. Initially unpersuaded by Lavoisier’s ideas, he was then won over; Lavoisier, Berthollet and Fourcroy joined him in getting his ideas about a rational nomenclature for chemistry established. Monge and Carnot were founder-colleagues at the École Polytechnique, and Gay-Lussac a student. Bergman was a long-term correspondent, Young was very impressed by his lab, but Davy described him as old and feeble.