MOISSAN, HENRI. - THE INVENTION OF THE ELECTRIC FURNACE.

Description d'un nouveau four électrique.

(Paris, Gauthier-Villars), 1892. 4to. No wrappers. In: "Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de L'Academie des Sciences", Tome 115, No 24. Pp. (1029-) 1112. (Entiere issue offered). Moissan's paper: pp. 1031-1033.nA few small tears to frontpage.

First printing of the paper in which Moissan described his famous invention of the Electric Furnace and hereby laying the foundations for high-temperature chemistry. For this invention and his isolation of flourine Moissan received the Nobel Prize in 1906.

"Moissan had turned his attention to the production of artificial diamonds and in the process constructed his famous electric furnace, which, although simple in design, proved to be a technological tool of the first order. The original model, which he subsequently improved, was demonstrated to the Academy of Sciences in December 1892 (the paper offered). It consisted of two blocks of lime, one laid on the other, with a hollow space in the center for a crucible, and a longitudinal groove for two carbon electrodes which produced a high-temperature electric arc. In one experiment Moissan heated iron and carbonized sugar in his electric furnace, causing the carbon to dissolve in the molten iron..... Moissan’s electric furnace provided great impetus to the development of high-temperature chemistry. With this apparatus he prepared and studied refractory oxides, silicides, borides, and carbides; he succeeded in volatilizing many metals; and, by reducing metallic oxides with carbon, he obtained such metals as manganese, chromium, uranium, tungsten, vanadium, molybdenum, titanium, and zirconium. The electrochemical and metallurgical applications to industry of Moissan’s work became immediately apparent, for example in the large-scale production of acetylene from calcium carbide."(DSB).

Moissan received the Nobel prize in Chemistry in 1906 "in recognition of the great services rendered by him in his investigation nd isolation of the element fluorine, and for the adoption in the service of science of the electric furnace called after him".

Parkinson "Breakthroughs" 1892 C.

This issue also contains another notable paper by PIERRE CURIE in which he describes his invention of a quadrant electrometer that improved upon the one devised by Kelvin by adding an ingenious magnetic damper.

Order-nr.: 47780