IMPROVEMENTS IN GERMAIN GALVANIC BATTERIES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nicholas Callan, of Maynooth College, in the County
of Kildare, Ireland, Professor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GERMAIN GALVANIC BATTERIES"
Sealed the 27th February 1855, and dated the 2nd September 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nicholas Callan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd September 1854.
I, NICHOLAS CALLAN, of Maynooth College, in the County of Kildare,
Ireland, Professor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN GALVANIC BATTERIES" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, in the first place, in using as exciting agents in all
or nearly all single fluid galvanic batteries and some double fluid galvanic
batteries, for the negative and positive elements, or the negative element alone,
certain proportions of sulphuric and muriatic acid with water, either separately
or together, and mixed or not mixed with an alkaline or metallic salt; where
these solutions are used in exciting both the positive and negative elements,
these elements may or may not be separated by a porous diaphragm. These
solutions must not contain more than four or four & a half times as much of
water by measure as of the acid or acids, and must not contain less water than
acid, where an acid or acids alone or with an alkaline salt are used; where a
metallic salt is used, the quantity of water must not be less by measure than

page_text: that of the acid or acids, nor more than seven or eight times as great as that
of the acid or acids. Various metallic or alkaline salts may be employed,
but sulphate of iron, chloride of sodium, or carbonate or sulphate of soda may
be found preferable.
My Invention consists, in the second place, in substituting iron or cast iron
for the copper, or a solution of sulphate of iron for that of sulphate of copper,
used in Daniel's constant battery or others of similar construction.
My Invention consists, in the third place, in using iron or cast iron and a
solution of sulphate of iron for the copper and solution of sulphate of copper
used in Daniel's or similar constant batteries.
My Invention consists, in the fourth place, in using for the positive element
of certain galvanic batteries zinc coated with an amalgam of mercury, tin,
and lead, or with an amalgam of mercury and either of the other two metals.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Nicholas Callan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd March 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NICHOLAS
CALLAN, of Maynooth College, in the County of Kildare, Ireland, Professor,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Nicholas Callan, Her special licence that I, the said Nicholas Callan,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Nicholas Callan, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CER-
TAIN GALVANIC BATTERIES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Nicholas Callan, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Nicholas Callan, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
(that is to say):
My Invention of "Improvements in Certain Galvanic Batteries" consists,
in the first place, in using as exciting agents in all or nearly all single fluid
galvanic batteries, and some double fluid galvanic batteries, for the negative
and positive elements, or the negative element alone, certain proportions of
sulphuric and muriatic acid with water, either separately or together, and
mixed or not mixed with an alkaline or metallic salt; where these solutions
are used in exciting both the positive and negative elements, these elements
may or may not be separated by a porous diaphragm.
The following are the various solutions and the proportions in which they
are intended to be used :-
First, any solution of sulphuric acid which does not contain less water by
measure than acid, if the acid be not below the ordinary strength, nor more
than four or four and a half times as great a bulk of water as of acid, unless
the acid be above the ordinary strength.
Secondly, any solution of sulphuric acid in which a cheap metallic salt, such
as chloride of sodium, is dissolved, and in which the quantity of water is not
less by measure than that of acid, if the acid be not below the ordinary
strength, nor more than seven or eight times as great as that of acid, unless
the acid be above the ordinary strength.
Thirdly, any solution of sulphuric and muriatic acid together, in which the
quantity of water is not less by measure than that of the acids, if neither of
the acids be below the ordinary strength, nor more than four or four and a
half times as great as that of the acids, if neither of them be above the
ordinary strength.
Fourthly, any solution of muriatic acid in which the quantity of water is not.
less by measure than that of acid, if the acid be not below the ordinary
strength, nor more than four or four and a half times as great as that of acid.
It will be useful to dissolve in all the above mentioned exciting fluids, except
the second, an alkaline salt, such as carbonate, sulphate, or phosphate of soda,
or permanganate or arseniate of potash. The addition of these salts serves to
keep the surface of the zine clean.
The batteries, for which I claim the use of the above-mentioned exciting
agents, are those in which amalgamated zinc is the positive element, and iron,
copper, platina, or carbon, but especially cast iron, is the negative element.
These exciting agents act most powerfully when the negative element is cast

page_text: iron. When great galvanic power is required, I recommend a battery con-
sisting of cast iron and amalgamated zinc, excited by any of the following
fluids, but particularly by the last :-
1. Strong muriatic acid diluted with an equal bulk of water.
2. About equal parts of sulphuric and muriatic acid diluted with an equal
bulk of water.
3. Sulphuric acid diluted with twice or a little less than twice its bulk of
water.
4. Sulphuric acid mixed with three times its bulk of a strong solution of
common salt.
A cast-iron battery, in which the zinc and cast iron are very near each other,
excited by any of those fluids, will circulate more electricity in a given time
than a nitric acid battery; such a battery I propose to call the Maynooth
single fluid battery, in order to distinguish it from the cast-iron nitric acid
battery, which is known by the name of the Maynooth battery, and is a double
fluid battery.
In some cases it may be thought desirable to separate the positive and
negative elements of a battery excited by any of the foregoing agents by the
intervention of a porous diaphragm. This plan may be adopted when it is
required to produce uniformity of action, but it is attended with loss of power.
Any of the exciting agents berein-before described may be used for exciting
the negative element alone of some double fluid batteries. First, when the
negative element is iron or cast iron and the positive element zinc, is excited
by a different fluid, the two elements being separated by a porous diaphragm.
Secondly, when the negative element is iron, cast iron, or a platinized metal,
these fluids may be used along with sulphate of copper or of iron, whilst the
zine or positive element is excited by a different fluid, the two elements being
separated by a porous diaphragm.
My Invention consists, in the second place, in substituting iron or cast iron
for the copper, or a solution of sulphate of iron for that of the sulphate of
copper, used in Daniell's constant battery or others of similar construction;
that is to say, batteries in which the negative element is copper, and is excited
by a solution of sulphate of copper; and the positive element is zinc, and is
excited by a different fluid.
My Invention consists, in the third place, in using iron or cast iron and a
solution of sulphate of iron for the copper and solution of sulphate of copper,
used in Daniell's and other similar constant batteries, so that the negative
element will be iron or cast iron, and will be excited by a solution of sulphate
of iron.

page_text: And my Invention consists, in the fourth place, in using for the positive
element of certain galvanic batteries zinc coated with an amalgam of mercury,
tin, and lead, or with an amalgam of mercury and either of the other two
metals.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I claim is,―
First, the use of the solutions in the proportions described under the first
head, as exciting agents in the single fluid batteries therein specified.
Secondly, the use of iron or cast iron instead of the copper used in Daniell's
battery, and in other similar constant batteries.
Thirdly, the use of sulphate of iron instead of the sulphate of copper, used
in Daniell's battery and similar constant batteries.
Fourthly, the use of iron or cast iron and sulphate of iron for the copper
and sulphate of copper, used in Daniell's battery and other similar constant
batteries, so that the negative element will be iron or cast iron, and will
be excited by a solution of sulphate of iron.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nicholas Callan, have hereunto set my
hand and affixed my seal, the 26th day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
0
Signed, sealed, and delivered in the
presence of
THOMAS FURLONG,
Maynooth College.
NICHOLAS CALLAN. (L.s.)