Final answer:
Louis's work to isolate nickel from rocks and sediment most appropriately aligns with inorganic chemistry, which includes the study of elements and minerals not based on carbon, such as metals. This field often involves analyzing and manipulating chemical reactions to extract elements and may also incorporate elements of analytical chemistry for material identification and quantification.
Step-by-step explanation:
The area of chemistry that best fits the action done by Louis, who is investigating a new way to isolate nickel from various nickel-containing rocks and sediment, is most likely inorganic chemistry. This branch of chemistry involves studying substances that are not primarily based on carbon, which typically includes metals like nickel, and commonly found minerals in rocks. The pursuit of new methods to isolate elements from ores falls squarely into this category, as it involves understanding and manipulating the chemical reactions that can extract metals from their natural matrices.
When comparing Louis's work to the foundational contributions of chemists like Antoine Lavoisier, we can see parallels in their efforts to isolate and comprehend the properties of elements. Lavoisier's work in identifying the composition of air and the role of gases in chemical reactions paved the way for more nuanced studies on materials and their transformations, which in the case of Louis, pertains to nickel extraction processes.
The process of isolating nickel involves several stages, including physical and chemical separations, where a chemist might use knowledge from other areas like analytical chemistry to identify and quantify nickel present in a sample. Therefore, Louis's work could also touch upon aspects of analytical chemistry, although the primary focus remains on the domain of inorganic chemistry.