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Alessandro Volta
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Count Alessandro Antonio Anastasio Volta (February 18 1745 – March 5 1827) was a Lombard physicist known especially for the development of the first electric cell in 1800.
a was born in Como and taught in the public schools there. In 1775 he became a professor of physics at the Royal School in Como; in the next year, he perfected the [electrophorus], an invention that produced charges of static electricity.
In 1776 to 1777 he put himself into chemistry, studying atmospheric electricity and making up experiments such as the ignition of gases by an electric spark in a closed vessel.
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Count Alessandro Antonio Anastasio Volta (February 18 1745 – March 5 1827) was a Lombard physicist known especially for the development of the first electric cell in 1800.
Life
Volta was born in Como and taught in the public schools there. In 1775 he became a professor of physics at the Royal School in Como; in the next year, he perfected the [electrophorus], an invention that produced charges of static electricity.
In 1776 to 1777 he put himself into chemistry, studying atmospheric electricity and making up experiments such as the ignition of gases by an electric spark in a closed vessel. In 1779 he became professor of physics at the University of Pavia, this was his position for 25 years. By 1800 he had developed the so-called voltaic pile, an early electric battery, which produced a steady stream of electricity.
In honor of his work in the field of electricity, Napoleon made him a count in 1810. A museum in Como, the Voltian Temple, has been built in his honor and exhibits some of the original equipment he used to conduct experiments. Near [Lake Como] stands the Villa Olmo, which houses the Voltian Foundation, an organization which promotes scientific activities. Volta carried out his experimental studies and made his first inventions in Como.
The Voltaic battery
The battery made by Volta is credited as the first electrochemical cell. It consists of two electrodes: one made of zinc, the other of copper. The electrolyte is sulphuric acid or a brine mixture of salt and water. The electrolyte exists in the form 2H+ and SO4 2-. The zinc, which is higher than both copper and hydrogen in the electrochemical series, reacts with the negatively charged sulphate. ( SO4 ) The positively charged hydrogen bubbles start depositing around the copper and take away some of its electrons. This makes the zinc rod the negative electrode and the copper rod the positive electrode.
We now have 2 terminals, and the current will flow if we connect them. The reactions in this cell are as follows:
- zinc
- Zn --> Zn2+ + 2e-
- sulfuric acid
- 2H+ + 2e- --> H2
The copper does not react, functioning as an electrode for the reaction.
However, this cell also has some disadvantages. It is unsafe to handle, as sulfuric acid, even if dilute, is dangerous. Also, the power of the cell diminishes over time because the hydrogen gas is not released, accumulating instead on the surface of the electrode and forming a barrier between the metal and the electrolyte solution.
Honors
In honor of his work in the field of electricity, Napoleon made him a count in 1810; in 1815 the Emperor of Austria named him a professor of philosophy at Padua.
Before 1796, Lombardy was ruled by Austria. From 1796 to 1815, Lombardy came under Napoleon's rule. After 1815, Lombardy was once again under Austrian rule. Thus Volta was once a subject of the Emperor of Austria, later a subject of Napoleon and then later a subject of the Emperor of Austria again.
He was a long-time correspondent of the Royal Society and was made a fellow (FRS). He received the Society's 1794 Copley Medal. He published his invention of the Voltaic pile battery in 1800 in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. He was in correspondence with scientists in Austria, which ruled Lombardy in his day, and in France. His 1800 paper was written in French.
Volta is buried in the city of Como. At the Tempio Voltiano near Lake Como there is a museum devoted to explaining his work. Count Volta's original instruments and papers are on display there. The building, along with his portrait, appeared on Italian 10.000 lira banknote, before the introduction of the euro.
In 1881, an important electrical unit, the volt(V), was named in his honor. There have also been innovations and discoveries named after Alessandro Volta including the Toyota Alessandro Volta, and the crater Volta on the Moon.
Retirement
Volta entered retirement in Spain.
Children
- Christian Volta [1765–1839]
- Alezandro Volta [1767–1844]
- Louis Volta [1768–1845]
- Johann Volta [1771–1850]
- Magdalena Volta [1773–1854]
- Alessandro Volta Junior [1776–1855]
See also
External links
- <
- article on Alessando Volta.
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