Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Producing Vapours of Aldehydes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 19th June, 1897'
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Producing
Vapours of Aldehydes.
I, EUGENE FOURNIER, of 114 Rue de Provence, Paris in the Republic of
France, Pharmaceutical Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The present invention chiefly relates to a new construction of burner or lamp
known under the name of aldehydogen, by means of which vapours of aldehyde or
of formaldehyde are formed according to the combustible alcohol being. ethyl or
methyl-alcohol.
These vapours of aldehyde or formol are produced by the oxidation of alcohol
in contact with a block of spongy platinum or of platinum in a very fine state of
division.
The invention is. illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings,
in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the whole apparatus, said 'apparatus being
shown with its parts in the position occupied when not in use or for transport, some
parts being broken away to better show the interior...
Figure 2.a vertical section with the parts in the position occupied when in use.
Figures 3 and 4 are detail views relating to the cup.
By examining, these figures it will be easy to understand the construction of my
apparatus which is mainly constituted as follows:-
A lamp-reservoir A receives through a filling orifice B closed by a screw-plug C
(having a safety opening) the ethylic or methyl-alcohol according to whether it is
desired to produce vapours of aldehyde or of formol; on to the reservoir A is
screwed at D the burner tube E enclosing one or several wicks F. The alcohol
contained in the reservoir A rises, to the upper ends of said wicks.appearing at the
upper orifice G of the tube E.
Inside the tube E there is centrally arranged a tube P which is surrounded by
the wick or wicks F, its upper extremity being at the centre of the orifice G of the
burner, while at the bottom the tube P is bent upwards in a Ụ. form and terminates
outside the wick, thus forming an air-inlet.
Above the orifice G is suspended concentrically with this orifice a horizontal
disc H consisting of very fine platinum wires and attached at its centre to the end
of a horizontal branch I of a bracket J-bent at right angles and provided with a
rack Khaving helical teeth, held and guided in a vertical guide N. provided with
an opening for the passage of the teeth, said guide supporting, between its
shoulders OO a milled nut L by means of which the rack K can be raised or
lowered.
The result of this arrangement is that the disc H of platinum wires is vertically
adjustable above the orifice G of the burner, by vertically moving.the rack K by
means of the nut L.
A cap U which is screwed on the upper end G. of the tube E.enables said orifice.
to be closed in an air-tight manner for the purpose of transporting the apparatus,
or when not in use, and at the same time affords support to the platinum disc H
which, when the rack K is in its lowest position, rests with its lower face on the
top U₁ of the cap U, where it is protected against-injury by the flange V formed
round the dise U!.

page_text: A cylinder X secured with its lower open end to a shoulder Y on the reservoir A
below the burner, forms a casing for the latter and also a screen, so that the lamp
may be carried about, when lighted, without any special precautions and without
risk of extinguishing it.
The casing. X is arranged so as to receive at the top a cover Z which serves,
moreover, to protect the whole burner when the lamp is not used, so that its main
parts are protected against shocks during transport or in handling the lamp.
For a special purpose which will be described later on, the burner of the present
lamp constructed as described, is combined with a small cup which is intended to
be arranged at a suitable variable height above the platinum disc H. Said cup
must be sufficiently heated to produce the desired hereinafter described result, by
the heat radiating from the disc H, which heat has been produced first by lighting
the burner and, after the latter has been extinguished, maintained by the vapours
rising from the burner, mixed with the air entering through the tube P. .
According to the use for which it is meant the cup may be simply an ordinary
cup Qas in Figures 1, 2 and or as in Figure 4, which shows a cup Q' filled
with some absorbing powder or material, such for instance as pulverized pumice-
stone said material being held in place by an asbestos cap Q3 fastened by a ring Q2
securing the edge of said cap against the corresponding edge of the cup Q¹.
Whatever its construction, this cup may be supported in any suitable manner
above the lamp-burner. It may be supported, for instance as shown in Figures 1,
2, and 3 at the end of a horizontal band or rod R bent downwards at a right angle
the vertical portions S being again bent back at a right angle in the same direction.
as the upper part R, this lower horizontal portion being divided into two branches
forming an elastic clamp T to grip the tube E and to be placed on said tube at
any desired height or as in Figure 4, at the end of a horizontal rod R' bent at a
right angle the vertical portion S' being guided and supported in a vertical tube S'
closed at the bottom and passing into the lamp reservoir A, a set-screw S³ enabling
the rod S' to be fixed in any desired position.
This latter arrangement has, if compared with that in Figures 1, 2, and 3 the
advantage of enabling the cup carried by the rod R' to be horizontally adjusted
relatively to the burner, that is to say, to be placed for instance outside the reach
of the heat in the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 4 simply by turning
the rod S¹ in the tube S2 without being obliged to separate it completely from the
lamp as would be necessary in the arrangement shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Figure 2, and Figure 4 partially show the present device in working position,
that is to say the cap U as well as the cover Z of the cylindrical casing X removed
and the disc H placed by means of the rack K operated by the nut L at a suitable
height above the top G of the burner.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
The wick F being lighted, the platinum disc H is heated by the flame until it is
red hot; this temperature being reached, the flame of the wick F is extinguished
and the disc H is maintained at this temperature by the alcohol-vapours which
under the influence of the initial temperature of the disc H continue to come from
the wicks F. These vapours coming in contact with the red-hot platinum disc H
become oxidised, the result of which oxidation, considerably assisted by the cxygen
of the air entering through the tube P, is the production of vapours, of aldehyde
or formol according to whether ethylic or methyl alcohol be used.
In case when the production of these vapours becomes too strong so that a
disagreeable smell is produced this inconvenience is remedied by putting into the
movable cup Q placed over the disc H as shown dotted in Figure 2 some salts of
ammonia or some solid scented budy, which being decomposed by the heat will
produce a pleasant odour and mask that of the aldehyde, thus rendering it
inoffensive.
If it is preferred to use liquid scents or essences for this purpose the cup shown
in Figure 4 may be used the scents being poured on the asbestos cover Q³ and then
absorbed by the absorbing substance under the asbestos cover, and become slowly

page_text: The result of this
evaporated by the heat to which the cup Q' is exposed.
immediate absorption of the liquid scents or essences is to avoid boiling and
upsetting under the influence of too strong a heat, whereby the apparatus may
be injured.
When the disagreeable smell has disappeared and the apparatus is still required
for use the cup may be either removed, if it is arranged as in Figures 1, 2,
and 3, or moved further away from the burner beyond the reach of heat of
the burner as shown dotted in Figure 4 if said cup be of construction shown.
in Figure 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A vapour lamp having a vertically adjustable platinum disc, as H, above
the top of the wick tube E forming part of the burner which latter is provided
with a central tube, as P, for admitting air, the oxygen of which mixed with the
vapours from the wicks assists the oxidation of said vapours when they come in
contact with the fine platinum wires of which the disc is made, said burner being
preferably combined with a closing cap which serves as a support for and protector
to the disc when not in use and an outside casing and cover as X, Z, (the cover
being removed when the lamp is to be used) and with a movable cup arranged
so that it may be heated by the heat radiating from the disc in order to evaporate
materials or scents to mask, or destroy, the smell of the vapours produced by the
apparatus said cup being either a simple one, as Q, for solid scents or provided
with an absorbing substance, as Q', for liquid scents the whole substantially as
described and for the purpose specified.
2. A lamp of the character described substantially as described and illustrated
in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings with or without the cup Q
(Figure 3) or Q1 (Figure 4).
Mouch 1907
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.