The inventor of the first battery, Alessandro Volta, devised this funny instrument in 1776. However, it is more than fun, because it is also important from a scientific point of view. For it shows that the electric spark can also have chemical effects. Volta investigated the ignition of gas mixtures by means of electric sparks. The following experiment resulted from this investigation. A flask is filled with hydrogen and oxygen in the proportion of 2:1. In that proportion, a fulminating gas (oxyhydrogen) is formed. Then the flask is sealed with a cork. When an electric spark is generated in this mixture, the two gases combine into water immediately. Furthermore, this combining is accompanied by an explosion, which ejects the cork from the flask. In this popular experiment, the instrument was often in the shape of pistol, cannon or mortar. Hence the name Volta's pistol.
Volta's pistol
1775 - 1799