Döbereiner's lamp

Döbereiner's lamp.

a. glass cylinder
b. open bottle
c. wire
d. zinc
e. stopcock
f. nozzle
g. platinum sponge

Döbereiner's lamp is a lighter invented in 1823 by the German chemist Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner, the lighter is based on the Fürstenberger lighter and was in production until ca. 1880. In the jar, zinc metal reacts with sulfuric acid to produce hydrogen gas. When a valve is opened, a jet of hydrogen is released and bursts into flame. The ignition is catalyzed by platinum metal.

Examples of the lighter are exhibited in the Deutsche Museum and in the old pharmacy at Heidelberg Castle.

See also

• Timeline of hydrogen technologies

Further reading

• Hoffmann, Roald (Jul-Aug 1998). "Döbereiner's Lighter". American Scientist 86 (4): 326. doi:10.1511/1998.4.326 . 
• George B. Kauffman (1999). "Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner's Feuerzeug". Platinum Metals Review 43 (3): 122–128.