US274110A - Felix de lalande - Google Patents

Description

(N0 Model.)4

I'. DE LALANDEYz QUE'AFRON.

GALVANIG BATTERY..

Nol 274,110. Patented Mai-,20,188s.

...../wuhzu.. ....9612 ...1.

'l PETERS. mouw. mxima.;

Tolall whom Iit may concern UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FELIX DE LALANDE, OF PARIS, FRANCE, AND GEORGES CHAPERON, OF Y MINES DALOSNO, SPAIN.

GALVAN I C BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,110, dated March 20, 1888.

Application filed July 1l, 1882. (No model.) Patented in France Tune 25, 1881. No. 143,644.

Be it known that we, FELIX Da LALANDE and GEORGES OHA'PERQN, citizens of the Itepublicot France, residingrespectively at Paris,A :in the Republic of France, and the Mines dAlosno, Province-de Huelva-,in thc Kingdom of Spain, have jointly' invented certain new and useful Improvements in Galvanic Batter ies, for which we have received Letters Patent or Brevet dlnven tion in France No. 143,614, dated th June, 188i; and we'do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the` invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto'make and use the same.

These piles are characterized by. the employment simultaneously of oxide of copper as the depolarizing-body and of caustic potash or caustic soda in solution as the exciting-liquid. They can be readily formed with oxide-oicopper electrodes ot' good depolariZing-power having a good conductibility, especially when they already have worked and contain some metallic copper. We employ these caustic solutions in place of other solutions because we have found that they possess verygood conducti bility and that the oxide ofcopper is insoluble therein. Other solutions We have as the result of experiment'not found to possess these two advantages at once. The active electrode ot' the pile is constituted by a metal capable of being attacked by the exciting-liquid ot' the pile when the circuit is closed-for example, zinc, tin, lead, or a metal capable of fixing the hydrogen, as palladium platinum, spongy platinum, iron reduced, or, as well, copper obtained by precipitation or electro-chemicalreduction. These piles are reversible-that is to say, capable of being recharged by au electric current of sufficient electro-motive force.

In .the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows in sectional and in plan view an apparatus adapted for `practicing our invention;

Fig. 2, similar views of another arrangement,

and Figs. 3, 4, and 5, still other arrangements. lhe following .are examples of practical arrangements: l

A. First. Theinactiveplate,Fig.1,isformed by a plate, c a, ot'` iron, copper, or other metal, or ot' a plate of gas-retort carbon, surrounded 'tainingvesseh by oxide of copper, c c, built up and maintained by a bag, c' c c' c', ot' cotton or hemp cloth, or iron, copper, or brass wire-gauze. In this and the succeeding iigures, b represents the negative pole, d the exciting-liquid, and c the con- This oxide of copper can be mixed With iron'tilings or turnings, or copper lings or turnings. or pieces ot metal gauze, or fruginents of carbon to augment the surface of the' de13 olarizihg pcle.

Second. A porous vessel, a2 a2 c2 a2, can be employed,l as shown iu Fig. 2, in which is placed aniron rod, a a', or a rod of copper, or carbon rod, surrounded with iron or copper turnings or fragments of carbon. The interstices are tilled with oxide of copper.

Third. Oxide of copper is simply placed at the bottom of the vessel which forms the pile, mixed ornot Withconducting materials, a metallic rod,or a rod of carbon plunged inthe mass and forming the positive pole. A very simple arrangement (shown in Fig. 4) consists in putting the depolarizing material c in the interior ot' a metal capsule or cover, c2., placed at the lbottom of the vessel e, and' communieating with the exterior by an isolated conductor, a. Thus is obtained an arrangement analogous to that of Galland couples, with this difference, that the depolarzer is not soluble and that the two poles can `be placed at very little distance apart.

Fourth. We are able in different Ways. ot which Fig. 3 illustrates one, to form with oxide ot' copper agglomerations or plates cz t?, or cylinders, bricks, grains oi' greater or less size, which are sufficient for employment in maintaining charges near the positive pole ct ofthe pile. Oxide ot' copper -is equally capable of being agglomerated directly on the conductor forming the positive pole and being part of it.

(a.) Heat alonesufces to agglomerat-e the oxide of copper as partially melted.

(b.) Thisagglomeration is providedatalower temperature on .adding to the oxide of copper tive to ten per cent. ot' pounded glass, argil, or gelatinous silica. The mixture is worked up with a sufficient quantity ofv water, molded, dried, and heated toa red heat. t

B. Forconstitutingthe activeelectrodeofthe pile we prefer generally zinc, which gives the :oo`

greatest electromotive force. It is useful to amalgainate it. We employ it in any formplane surfaces, cylinders, spirals, threads, grains,barsoringots,oastings,andotherforms. It is applied so as to avoid all contact with the positive pole. In case the oxide'is placed at the bottom ot the vessel,the zinc is suspended at the upper part. To apply this arrangement to very small piles we proceed in the following manner, and as shown at Fig. 5. In a cylindrical glass tube, e, we place a metallic wire, a', having its extremity, a3, wound into a spiral form. We add a certain quantity of oxide ot' copper, c, which We recover in case of need with porous wad, paper card, cotton, or other suitable material. We then pour in the exciting-liquid d and stop the mouth ofthe tube e with a stopper or cork,f, pierced with two oritices,j"f2, into one of which passes the metallic wire a', while the other is traversed by a small cylinder of zinc, b.

C. Exctz'ng-lz'Qm'd.-As an exciting-liquid We employ solutions of causticr soda or caustic potash containing from ten to thirty per cent. ofthe dry material. y

D. Working of the pila-A pile being constituted by a depolarizing-electrode having one ofthe arrangements previously described, (A,) a cylinder or a rod of zinc maintained at a suitable distance, (B,) and an exciting-liquid (C) when the poles are reunited, an electric current is established in the exterior circuit. The zinc is attacked, is dissolved, or is precipitated in the stateof oxide, and the oxide of copper is reduced to the metallic state. The reaction is continued' and the current is maintained until one ofthe three elements is used 11p-zinc, depolarizingmaterial, or theexcitingliquid. The pile does not Work in a sensible manner while the circuit is open When re- 4 charging the pile With a current of' electricity the reduced copper absorbs oxygen energetically and returns into a state of oxide, the zinc is deposited in a metallic state, and the alkaline solution is regenerated. 4

Having fully described our invention and the means by which the same may be carried into ett'ect, We would have it understood that We do not conline ourselves to the precise details or arrangements hereinbcfore described, 5 as the 'same may be varied without altering the principle or the nature of our invention; but

What wedesire to claim andsecurc by Letters Patentis.- 5

l. In electric piles or galvanic batteries, oxide of copper as the depolarizing-body, combined with caustic potash or caustic soda in solution as the exciting-liquid, zinc forming the active electrode ofthe pile or battery, sub- A6 stantially as hereinbcfore described.

2. In electric piles or galvanic batteries, oxide of copper and caustic soda or caustic potash in solution, in combination with the devices herein described for maintaining the oxide Iof 6 copper in contact with the inactive plate of the battery or pile.

FELIX DE LALANDE. GEORGES UHAPERON.

Witnesses as to F. de Lalande:

A. MILLo'r, E. l?. MAGLEAN.

Witnesses as to G. Chaperon:

EDUARDO DIAN, jf V. DELIGNY.

Images