IMPROVEMENTS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY GALVANIC BATTERIES AND CELLS, AND IN MATERIALS THEREFOR PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hermann Aron, Doctor of Philosophy, of Berlin, Germany,
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY GALVANIC
BATTERIES AND CELLS, AND IN MATERIALS THEREFOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hermann Aron at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st June 1882.
HERMANN ARON, Doctor of Philosophy, of Berlin, Germany. IMPROVEMENTS IN
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY GALVANIC BATTERIES AND CELLS AND IN MATERIALS
THEREFOR
My invention is based on the hitherto unknown property of chemical derivatives
of cellulose, such as gun-cotton and collodium, to form with most metallic oxides
or salts a material, which under certain conditions, conducts electric currents. This
material, hereinafter called the oxide compound may be reduced by chemicals
or galvanic currents, so as to convert the metallic oxide into metal and the
derivatives of cellulose into cellulose Strongly reducing agents produce from the
nitro-compound an amido-compound of cellulose, from which re-action resulst a
substance hereinafter called the metallic compound In order to increase the
conducting-power and solidity of the oxide compound it may be mechanically mixed
with carbon. The oxide compound may also be produced by mixing with collodium
salts soluble in alcohol, allowing this mixture to be suked up by plates of textile
material and placing these plates in a solution of metallic salt which forms the
oxide compound by the decomposition of the salt in the collodium. Instead of the
collodium other solutions of gun-cotton may be employed and of metals applicable
for making the oxide-compound may be mentioned silver, platinum, lead and
manganese. For constructing primary galvanic elements a plate of conducting
material, little or not attackable by the exciting liquid, is covered with a fresh
emulsion of the oxide-compound and allowed to dry. Thicker and stronger
plates may be obtained by spreading the emulsion over strips of wool, cotton or
silk-stuff, wrapping the same around the above described plates of lead or other

page_text: conducting material and using the thus obtained plate as positive electrode, while
zinc plates are used as negative electrodes. As exciting liquids the chemicals
generally used in galvanic cells may be employed for instance diluted sulphuric
acid, where the electrodes consist of lead-oxide compound and zinc. Instead
of using one oxide-compound plate several thin plates inay be placed side by side.
For secondary galvanic elements or batteries the lead-oxide compound is preferably
used, and the pole plates or electrodes may be prepared as described for primary
batteries. The cellulose, uniformly deposited between the metallic particles carries
the liquid into the depth of the plates by capillary attraction, in consequence of
which the action is no longer limited to the surface, but can be increased at will
by increasing the thickness of the plates. The metallic compound may also be
produced by mixing metal in a fine state of division with collodium, or other
solutions of cellulose, and this material may be used for making conducting pole-
plates or electrodes as described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Hermann Aron in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 19th December
1882.
HERMANN ARON, Doctor of Philosophy, of Berlin, Germany. IMPROVEMENTS
IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY GALVANIC BATTERIES AND CELLS, AND IN MATERIALS
THEREFOR.
The following application of the cellulose is based on the hitberto unknown
property of chemical derivatives of the same, such as gun-cotton and collodium, to
form with most metallic oxides or salts a material which under certain conditions
conducts electric currents.
This material, produced for instance from collodium with peroxide of lead, is,
unlike collodium, no longer soluble in a mixture of ether and alcohol, and is besides
thoroughly homogeneous; it has therefore the characteristics of achemical compound
formed by the combination of the lead with the collodium. I call materials so
produced metallodion. Besides metalloids, salts which are not soluble in watery
liquids may be employed for this purpose for instance sulphate of lead and
carbonate of lead.
Metallodion may be reduced by chemicals or galvanic currents, so as to convert
the metallic oxide into metal, and as the nitrogen remaining in the derivatives of
the cellulose is replaced by hydrogen, the derivatives of cellulose are again
transformed into cellulose.
Stronger reducing agents produce from the nitro-compound an amido-compound
of cellulose. From this reaction results a substance which I call metallodiuin,
being an element of the above named metallodion.
In order to increase the conducting power and solidity of the metallodion it
may be mechanically mixed with carbon.
The following manner of producing metallodion is very similar to the production
of silver or lead-plates used in photography. It consists in mixing with collodium,
salts soluble in alcohol, allowing this mixture to be sucked up by plates of textile
material, and placing these plates in a solution of a metallic salt, whereby the
metal forms with the salt in the collodium, the metallodion named above. Instead
of collodium other solutions of gun-cotton may be employed. According to the
application of different elements various kinds of metallodium may be produced,
viz., silver, platinum, lead, and manganese metallodium.
The application of these new materials includes the production of:
1. Primary galvanic elements or batteries.
2. Secondary galvanic elements or batteries.
1. For producing primary galvanic elements, a plate of conducting material
little or not attackable by the exciting liquid is covered with a fresh emulsion of
metallodion and allowed to dry, after which the plate is ready for use. Thicker
and stronger plates may be obtained by spreading the emulsion over strips of wool,
cotton or silk-stuff, wrapping the same around the above described plate of lead
or other conducting material and using the plate thus obtained as a positive
electrode, while zinc-plates are used as negative electrodes.
As exciting liquids the chemicals of the second class (acids and saline solutions)
generally used in galvanic elements may be employed, whereby constant elements
of more or less resistance or of different electro motive force are obtained. By
employing lead-metallodion with zinc in diluted sulphuric acid, constant elements
with feeble resistance are obtained, while manganese-metallodion with zinc in
chloride of ammonium produce suitable elements for galvanic batteries for electric
telegraphs. To decrease the resistance and increase the constancy of the current,

page_text: instead of one metallodion plate a number of thin plates may be placed side by
side, for instance in the Leclanché element a number of lead plates coated with
manganese metallodion may be used.
2. For the production of secondary galvanic elements lead metallodion is
preferably used. The pole-plates or electrodes are produced in the same manner
as described above for primary elements. In this case the cellulose uniformly
deposited between the metallic particles carries the liquid into the depth of the
plates by capillary attraction, in consequence of which the action is no longer
limited to the surface, but can be increased at will by increasing the thickness of
the plates.
Metallodion may also be produced by mixing metal in a fine state of division
with collodium or other solutions of cellulose, and this material may be used for
making conducting pole-plates or electrodes as described.
1. The manufacture of two new materials, namely metallodium and metallodion
from metals and cellulose, or the chemical derivatives of both, substantially as and
for the purposes described.
2. The manufacture of pole-plates or electrodes for primary and secondary
elements from metallodion or metallodium and a conducting substance, such as
metal or coal, with or without the application of a binding substance, such as
cellulose, wool, silk, felt and varnish, substantially as described.
3. The manufacture of pole-plates or electrodes from finely divided metal with
the aid of a solution of cellulose, substantially as described.
In witness whereof I the said Hermann Aron have hereunto set my hand
and seal this sixteenth day of December A.D. 1882.
H. ARON (L.S.)