How Goethe lit a fire and the first fuel cell

How can you light a fire without matches? With chemistry and catalysis! Even before the invention of the match, chemist Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner and the celebrated poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe lit fires using catalysis.

We will show you how to replicate a Döbereiner lighter and explain how it works. This was the basis for the first fuel cell, 16 years later. Please also take a look at a replica of the experiment from 1839 that led to the first fuel cells. 

Location:
House of Chemistry (Haus der Chemie), right-hand side of the foyer

Time:
17:00 – 0:00

Duration: 
15 min, on-going

Children:
Suitable for children 6 years old and older, but not specifically geared towards children 

Type of event:
Demonstration, experiment

Accessibility:
Wheelchair accessible