946 



Popular Science Monthly 



drogen, decomposing the salt, and at the 

 same time setting free the oxygen in the 

 carbon j)lates. The fact that the carbon 

 plates can be treated continuously by this 

 process without impairing their efficien- 



um and sodium hydrate into which the 

 carbon dipped. Oxygen was made to 

 unite with the carbon through the inter- 

 vening electrolyte, by blowing air against 

 the iron pot which formed the positive 



cy seems to indicate that the oxygen does pole, and thus producing an electric cur- 

 not unite with the carbon, but is simply rent. But this was not successful as the 



stored up within its pores. 



This type of battery indi- 

 rectly illustrates the chemical 

 actiqn of a more ideal cell, 

 but is lacking in some of the 

 necessary fundamental prin- 

 ciples ; the method employed 

 is inefficient, and the results 

 obtained do not measure up 

 to the applied forces. 



There are certain chemical 

 substances which might prove, 

 by analysis, to be adaptable in 

 an application of this kind. 

 Platinum "black," for in- 

 stance, possesses to the high- 

 est perfection the power of 

 promoting combination be- 



Diagram showing 



cell arrangement ion 



a large scale 



salt was changed to a car- 

 bonate, and also a certain 

 amount of direct oxidation of 

 the carbon took place. 



Thus it is evident that the 

 problem of constructing an 

 efficient cell of this type is far 

 from being solved, as it seems 

 almost impossible to find a 

 substance which will dissolve 

 carbon, and thus create a di- 

 rect transformation of chem- 

 ical energy into electrical en- 

 ergy. But if some ambitious 

 experimenter with a thorough 

 knowledge of chemistry would 

 go after the solution of this 

 problem with the same perse- 



tween oxygen and other gases, absorb- vering research that Edison employed in 



ing over two hundred times its volume 

 of oxygen, the oxygen simply condens- 

 ing in the pores where it may be avail- 

 able for combination with other gases. 

 An organic compound known as linoleic 



his experiments with the incandescent 

 light, there is every reason to believe 

 that he would attain success. And the 

 rew^ard would be well worth the effort, 

 as the present commercial world is wait- 



fulfill all of the necessary requirements. 



acid possesses the peculiar property of ing for such an efficient device that will 

 absorbing oxygen from the air in large 

 quantities, forming a solid substance. 

 The properties possessed by these two 

 compounds simply illustrate the many 

 possibilities lying dormant in the chem- 

 ical world which on application to the 

 field of electro-chemistry might prove 

 invaluable. 



It may be of interest to note several 

 attempts that have been made in the 

 past on this idea. Jablockkoff in 1880 

 constructed a carbon oxygen cell using 

 a fused salt as an electrolyte, the carbon 

 being immersed in melted potassium ni- 

 trate, the positive electrode being iron. 

 Thus, the oxygen was supplied in the 

 form of a nitrate, but this was not suc- 

 cessful as the carbon was brought into 

 direct contact with the oxidizing sub- 

 stance, and it was necessary to keep the 

 cells at a temperature of several hun- 

 dred degrees. 



In 1896 W. Jacques patented a cell 

 which was constructed of an iron pot 

 containing a melted mixture of potassi- 



yy/MwiMMyj 



Sectional view of Jacques' ingenious cell, 

 showing heating of hydrate mixture 



