IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES AND MEANS FOR STORING ELECTRICAL ENERGY
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Slater of N° 98 Lancaster Road Notting Hill
in the County of Middlesex Electrician for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS
IN GALVANIC BATTERIES AND MEANS FOR STORING ELECTRICAL ENERGY
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Slater at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th March 1883.
THOMAS SLATER of No. 98 Lancaster Road Notting Hill in the County of
Middlesex, Electrician. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES AND MEANS FOR
STORING ELECTRICAL ENERGY."
The invention has for its object improvements in Galvanic Batteries and means
employed in storing or accumulating electrical energy.
In carrying out my invention I form the electrolyte or cathode of a Galvanic
battery or a battery for storing or accumulating electrical energy of the following
materials that to say, quick lime (say one pound) slacked by pouring thereon a
saturated solution of bichromate of potash.
To this lime so slacked I add little by little nitrous or nitric acid of about the
ordinary commercial strength (say six pounds) or instead of the nitrous or nitric
acid I may employ a saturated solution of nitrate of soda or of nitrate of potash in
equivalent quantity which quantity would be about three times greater in the
latter instance than in the former one, covering the vessel containing the same
until the fumes evolved have subsided.
In another vessel I place Caustic Soda or caustic potash (say four pounds) and
water (say four quarts) to which I add dry sawdust (say two pounds) of beech, fir
or other suitable wood, sawdust or other suitable form of cellulose, and I leave this
to macerate until the sawdust or other cellulose becomes a pulpy mass.
I then mix this last with the lime, nitric or nitrous acid and bichromate of
potash and when these have thoroughly mixed I add Chloride of Sodium (say one
pound) and after the mixture has been allowed to stand for a few hours it may be
placed in the desired receptacle in contact with the elementary metal or other
suitable substance constituting the one pole of the battery. This substance may

page_text: be a strip or strips or other form of carbon or wrought iron or other suitable metal
kept in position or supported by connecting strips or bands or otherwise. This
pole and electrolyte may be separated from the other pole of the battery by a
porous diaphragm or other suitable means of separation
Within the porous vessel as the opposite pole or electrode of the battery to that
first described I place a plate, cylinder or other suitable form of metal, for instance
zinc or a suitable metal coated with zinc may be used, and this electrode I excite
by placing in the vessel a mixture of caustic soda or caustic potash, Chloride of
Sodium, muriate of ammonia, and muriate of zinc in proportions sufficient to form
a neutral or saturated solution, or in proportions such as will give a reguline deposit
of zinc during electrolysis.
The salts of ammonia and zinc referred to I prefer to prepare by mixing them in
equal proportions and then evaporating the solution into a crystalline state and
the result may be used directly with the zinc in its deliquescent state.
Or I may dispense in some cases with the use of muriate of zinc.
In the preparation of Galvanic Batteries when not for use in storing electrical
energy I can dispense with the introduction of muriate of ammonia.
The following proportions of these substances I find to answer well but I do not
confine myself thereto, that is to say, To one pound (say) of caustic soda I add
about one quarter of a pound of chloride of sodium, three pints of water, and a
quarter of a pint of a saturated solution of muriate of zinc.
To these may be added if found desirable a small quantity of bitartrate of potash
and oxide of zinc (say one ounce of each in the proportions of substances already
instanced.).
This mixture having been placed in the proper vessel it may form the charge for
the battery, for use until the current is exhausted.
To recuperate the exhausted cell I pass in a current from a dynamo-electric
machine or other suitable source of electricity until the energy of the battery is
again restored and the battery is again ready for use as may be required. The
action of the current being to precipitate the metal held suspended in the solution
on to the plate or cylinder or plates or cylinders from which such metal had originally
been removed by previous action.
In place of employing sawdust in the second vessel before mentioned I may use
as the electrolyte Sugar, Molasses, or Starch carbonized by mixing a saturated
solution of sugar, molasses, or starch at a temperature of about 120° Fahrenheit
with equal volume by measure of nitric or sulphuric acid, and whilst the mixture
is hot I add thereto for each pound by weight of sugar, two and one-half pounds
of bichromate of potash or bichromate of soda, and one and a half pounds of oxide
of chromium and one and a half pounds of freshly slacked lime and when the
whole is cool it is ready for use.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Slater in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th September 1883.
THOMAS SLATER of N° 98 Lancaster Road Notting Hill in the County of
Middlesex Electrician "IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES AND MEANS FOR
STORING ELECTRICAL ENERGY
"
The invention has for its object improvements in galvanic batteries and means
employed in storing or accumulating electrical energy.
In carrying out my invention I form the electrolyte or cathode of a galvanic
battery or a battery for storing or accumulating electrical energy of the following
materials that is to say, quick-lime (say one pound) slacked by pouring thereon a
saturated solution of bichromate of potash.
To this lime so slacked I add little by little nitrous or nitric acid of about the
ordinary commercial strength (say six pounds) or instead of the nitrous or nitric
acid I may employ a saturated solution of nitrate of soda or of nitrate of potash in
equivalent quantity which quantity would be about three times greater in the
latter instance than in the former one, covering the vessel containing the same until
the fumes evolved have subsided.
In another vessel I place caustic soda or caustic potash (say four pounds)
and water (say four quarts) to which I add dry sawdust (say two pounds) of
beech fir or other suitable wood sawdust or other suitable form of cellulose
and I leave this to macerate until the sawdust or other cellulose becomes a pulpy
mass.
I then mix this last with the lime, nitric or nitrous acid and bichromate of
potash and when these have thoroughly mixed I add chloride of sodium (say one
pound) and after the mixture has been allowed to stand for a few hours it may be
placed in the desired receptacle in contact with the elementary metal or other
suitable substance constituting the one pole of the battery. This substance may
be a strip or strips or other form of carbon or wrought iron or other suitable metal
kept in position or supported by connecting strips or otherwise. This pole and
electrolyte may be separated from the other pole of the battery by a porous
diaphragm or other suitable means of separation.
Within the porous vessel or otherwise as the opposite pole or electrode of the
battery to that first described I place a plate cylinder or other suitable form of
metal, for instance zinc or a suitable metal coated with zinc may be used and this
electrode I excite by placing in the vessel a mixture of caustic soda or caustic
potash. Chloride of sodium, muriate of ammonia and muriate of zinc in proportions
sufficient to form a neutral or saturated solution or in proportions such as will give
a reguline deposit of zinc during electrolysis.
Or the muriate of zinc may be obtained by means of a saturated solution of
metallic zinc in muriatic acid and then caustic soda or caustic potash is added until
the zinc is precipitated as an alkaline oxide and upon a further addition of caustic
soda or caustic potash in the proportion of say one pound of caustic soda or caustic
potash to each gallon of such precipitate, a resulting mass will be produced
somewhat like thick mud which when cold will be ready for use and capable
of giving the desired reguline deposit during electrolysis.
In this latter case the employment of the chloride of sodium and muriate of
ammonia may be dispensed with.
The salts of ammonia and zinc referred to I prefer to prepare by mixing

page_text: them in equal proportions and then evaporating the solution into a crystalline
state and the result may be used directly with the zinc in its deliquescent
state.
Or I may dispense in some cases with the use of muriate of zinc.
In the preparation of galvanic batteries when not for use in storing electrical
energy I can dispense with the introduction of muriate of ammonia.
The following proportions of these substances I find to answer well but I do not
confine myself thereto, that is to say, To one pound (say) of caustic soda I add
about one quarter of a pound of chloride of sodium, three pints of water and a
quarter of a pint of a saturated solution of muriate of zinc.
To these may be added if found desirable a small quantity of bitartrate of
potash and oxide of zinc (say one ounce of each in the proportions of substances
already instanced).
This mixture having been placed in the proper vessel it may form the charge for
the battery for use until the current is exhausted.
To recuperate the exhausted cell I pass in a current from a dynamo electric
machine or other suitable source of electricity until the energy of the battery is
again restored and the battery is again ready for use as may be required. The
action of current being to precipitate the metal held suspended in the solution on
to the plate or cylinder or plates or cylinders from which such metal has originally
been removed by previous action.
In place of employing sawdust in the second vessel before mentioned I may use
as the electrolyte, sugar, molasses or starch carbonized by mixing a saturated
solution of sugar molasses or starch at a temperature of about 120° Fahrenheit
with equal volume by measure of nitric or sulphuric acid and whilst the mixture
is hot I add thereto for each pound by weight of sugar, two and one half pounds of
bichromate of potash or bichromate of soda and one and a half pounds of oxide of
chromium and one and a half pounds of freshly slacked lime and when the whole is
cool it is ready for use.
In witness whereof I the said Thomas Slater have hereunto set my hand
and seal this fifth day of September One thousand eight hundred and eighty
threa
Witness
ALFRED G. BROOKES
59 Chancery Lane London.
THOMAS SLATER (L.S.)