How Goethe made a fire and the first fuel cell

Fire without matches

How can you light a fire without matches? Using chemistry and catalysis. Even before the match was invented, the chemists Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner and the celebrated poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had made fire with the help of catalysts.

We show you how to replicate a Döbereiner lighter and explain how it works.

Plus take a look at a replica of the experiment that led to the first fuel cells, from 1839!

Place:
House of Chemistry, right-hand side of the foyer

Time:
16:00 to 24:00, lasts 15 minutes

Children:
Suitable for children of all ages and school groups

Kind of event:
Demonstration, experiment

Access:
full disabled access