"Dobereiner's Hydrogen Lighter".pdf

Dobereiner's Hydrogen Lighter, invented in 1823, was a device that produced an instantaneous flame, used like a modern cigarette lighter, and was a common household and laboratory appliance until the widespread use of friction matches in the 1840s. The device consisted of a glass vessel filled with dilute sulfuric acid and a piece of zinc, which generated hydrogen gas that ignited when it came into contact with spongy platinum. The apparatus had a self-regulating on-off control, allowing the user to easily ignite and extinguish the flame. About 20,000 Dobereiner lighters were in use in Germany and England by 1828, and it was also common in the United States, appearing in various construction designs in 19th-century textbooks. The device was a forerunner of the Kipp gas generator and continued to be used for laboratory demonstrations until late in the 19th century.