Döbereiner's lamp
Döbereiner's lamp, also called a "tinderbox" ("Feuerzeug"), is a lighter invented in 1823 by the German chemist Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner.
In the jar, similar to the Kipp's apparatus, zinc metal reacts with dilute sulfuric acid to produce hydrogen gas.
When a valve is opened, a jet of hydrogen is released onto a platinum sponge.
The sponge catalyzes a reaction with atmospheric oxygen, which heats the catalyst and ignites the hydrogen, producing a gentle flame.
The world's largest manufacturer of these lighters was Heinrich Gottfried Piegler from Schleiz in Thuringia (Germany).
- a. glass cylinder
- b. open bottle
- c. wire
- d. zinc
- e. stopcock
- f. nozzle
- g. platinum sponge
