IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC OR ELECTRIC BATTERIES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC OR ELECTRIC BATTERIES." A communication
from abroad by Joseph François Aymonnet, of Grignon, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th October 1881.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC OR ELECTRIC
BATTERIES." [A communication from abroad by Joseph François Aymonnet, of
Grignon, France.]
This Invention relates to an improved electrical or galvanic battery in which
only one liquid is used, and which may be employed for producing light, heat, and
power, also for the electro deposition of metals.
This battery may have one or more elements, and each element has for its
negative pole a piece more or less pure of iron or other metal, such as manganese
or chromium, or an alloy of such metals, and for its positive pole a piece of coke or
the like, or of platinum more or less pure. These poles may be made in any
suitable form, and may be divided as desired.
The liquid in which these poles are to be inmersed consists of a mixture of two
aqueous solutions, one of which contains chlorine or hydrochloric acid, or a chloride
or a mixture of these substances. The other solution contains nitric acid or a
nitrate or chromic acid, or a chromate or a bi-chromate or bi-oxide of manganese or
sesqui-oxide of iron, or a sesqui-chloride, or a bi-chloride, or a mixture of these
substances.
Each element may be placed within a vessel containing the liquid above
described; or several elements may be placed in one vessel containing the said
liquid, and the vessel may be of any suitable form. In either case if desired
provision may be made whereby the liquid in all the vessels may communicate.
This may be effected by means of syphons, as shewn at B in Figure 2 of the

page_text: accompanying Drawing, or by means of tubes C, as shewn in Figure 1, fitted into
sockets D provided upon the vessels; the shape, dimensions, and arrangement of the
vessels, the syphons, the tubes, and the sockets may be varied according to
circumstances or requirements.
To render my improved battery portable it is only necessary to enclose the
same within a box of any suitable form, and provided with a cover which will
prevent the escape of the liquid from the battery. In case the battery is one in
which all the elements are in a single vessel, the latter will not require a box, and
may simply have a cover so applied as to be capable of preventing the escape of
the liquid.
To connect together the electrodes of the various elements of the battery, the
ordinary methods and devices may be employed, and when the battery is made
portable, the connection may be made below or above the aforesaid cover.
In order to diminish the resistance of the battery, the two poles of each element
are placed sufficiently far apart to prevent the development of sparks between
them.
The chief advantages of my improved battery are as follow, that is to say :-
It cannot be polarized; the metallic pole especially when made of iron is
cheaper than zinc; the exciting material is cheaper than sulphuric acid; the
depolarizing substances are almost entirely utilized; the electromotive power of
an element of this battery is almost as great as that of the well known "Bunsen "
-element;-the-resistance-of-one-of-my-elements-is-less-than that of a "Bunsen".
element, having the same pole surfaces. Requiring only one liquid, my said
battery may be used with great facility.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Lettera Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th April 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC OR ELECTRIC
BATTERIES." A communication from abroad by Joseph François Aymonnet, of
Grignon, France.
This Invention relates to an improved electric or galvanic battery in which only
one liquid is used, and which may be employed for producing light, heat, and
power, also for the electro-deposition of metals.
This battery may have one or more elements, and each element has for its
negative pole a piece (more or less pure) of iron or other metal, such as manganese
or chromium, or an alloy of such metals, and for its positive pole a piece of
charcoal, coke, or the like, or of platinum more or less pure. These poles may be
made in any suitable form, and may be divided as desired.
The liquid in which these poles are to be immersed consists of a mixture of two
aqueous solutions, one of which contains either chlorine, hydrochloric acid, a
chloride, or a mixture of these substances, the other solution containing either
nitric acid, a nitrate, chromic acid, a chromate, a bichromate, binoxide of
manganese, sesqui-oxide of iron, a sesqui-chloride, a bi-chloride, or a mixture of
these substances.
Each element may be placed within a vessel containing the liquid above
described, or several elements may be placed in one vessel containing the said
liquid, and the vessel may be of any suitable form. In either case if desired
provision may be made whereby the liquid in different vessels may communicate.
This may be effected by means of syphons, as shewn at B in Figure 2 of tho
accompanying Drawing, or by means of tubes C, as shewn in Figure 1, fitted into
sockets D provided upon the vessels. The shape, dimensions, and arrangement of
the vessels, the syphons, the tube, and the sockets may be varied according to
circumstances or requirements.
To render my improved battery portable it is only necessary to enclose the
same within a box of any suitable form, and provided with a cover which will
prevent the escape of the liquid from the battery. In case the battery is one in
which all the elements are in a single vessel, the latter will not require a box, and
may simply have a cover so applied as to be capable of preventing the escape of
the liquid.
To connect together the electrodes of the various elements of the battery, the
ordinary methods and devices may be employed, and when the battery is made
portable, the connection may be made below or above the aforesaid cover.
In order to diminish the resistance of the battery, the two poles of each element
are placed sufficiently far apart to prevent the development of sparks between
them.
The chief advantages of my improved battery are as follow, that is to say :-It
is not liable to polarization; the metallic negative pole especially when made of iron
is cheaper than zinc; the exciting material is cheaper than sulphuric acid; the
depolarizing substances are almost entirely utilized; the electro-motive force of
an element of this battery is almost as great as that of the well known "Bunsen
element; the resistance of one of my elements is less than that of a "Bunsen
element, having the same pole surfaces. Requiring only one liquid, my said
battery may be used with great facility.
ޔ
All the mixtures are made in such a manner that they always produce by

page_text: chemical reaction chlorine which deposits upon the iron, and transforms it into a
chloride without the liberation of hydrogen. The best results will be obtained as
follows: When a solution of chromic acid of a chromate or of a bi-chromate is
employed, and the quantity of dissolved chromic acid free or not is represented in
weight by 100, the quantity of dissolved hydrochloric acid introduced should be
represented in weight by the following numbers:—
210 920 in the moon of free chromic acid
chemical reaction chlorine which deposits upon the iron, and transforms it into a
chloride without the liberation of hydrogen. The best results will be obtained as
follows: When a solution of chromic acid of a chromate or of a bi-chromate is
employed, and the quantity of dissolved chromic acid free or not is represented in
weight by 100, the quantity of dissolved hydrochloric acid introduced should be
represented in weight by the following numbers:
*210 220 in the cas free chromic acid
250 to 260 in the case of a bichromate.
290 to 300 in the case of a chromate.
When a nitric solution is employed with 63 parts of free or combined nitric acid,
the quantity of dissolved hydrochloric acid introduced should be by weight.
105 to 115 in the case of free nitric acid.
140 to 150. in the case of a nitrate.
When a binoxide soluble in water is employed, it is necessary to use for every
16 parts of oxygen corresponding to the binoxide from 35 to 36 parts by weight of
dissolved hydrochloric acid.
If the binoxide is insoluble in water it is introduced in powder or in pieces, and
in such quantity that for every 35 to 36 parts of dissolved hydrochloric acid there
is a quantity of binoxide containing at least 16 parts of oxygen, but it is always
preferable to use from 5 to 10 times the quantity of binoxide above indicated.
When a sesqui-oxide and especially sesqui-oxide of iron is employed, it is
necessary to use for every 35 to 36 parts of dissolved hydrochloric acid, a quantity
of sesqui-oxide containing at least 24 parts of oxygen, but it is always preferable to
employ from 5 to 10 times that quantity of sesqui-oxide.
When chlorine is employed, or a bi-chloride or a sesqui-chloride soluble in water
only, a solution of one of these substances is used.
The above mixtures may all have more or less water added to them, according as
it is desired to have a battery offering a resistance more or less considerable for
given plane surfaces situated at given distances.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. In an electrical or galvanic battery, the use of a metal, such as iron,
manganese, or chromium, or an alloy of such metals as the negative pole, the
positive pole being formed of retort charcoal, coke, or the like, or of platinum more
or less pure, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Second. The liquid exciter consisting of a mixture of two solutions, one of which
contains hydrochloric acid, chlorine, a chloride, or a mixture of these substances;
and the other of which contains nitric or chromic acid, a nitrate, a chromate, a
bichromate, binoxide of manganese, sesqui-oxide of iron, a sesqui-chloride, a bi-
chloride, or a mixture of these substances, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.