Carl Gassner facts for kids

Grave of Carl Gassner at the main cemetery of Mainz

Carl Gassner was a smart German doctor, scientist, and inventor. He was born in Mainz, Germany, on November 17, 1855, and passed away on January 31, 1942. He is best known for making important changes to the Leclanché cell. He helped create the first dry cell battery. This new battery was much better because it was less likely to break or leak. It could also be made in large numbers in factories.

Carl Gassner's Life and Work

Carl Gassner studied medicine at the University of Strasbourg. After finishing his studies, he became a doctor in Mainz, Germany. He specialized in treating diseases of the eyes and ears. Besides his medical work, Gassner also loved to experiment. He did many experiments in physics and chemistry. He often worked at the Balbach watchmaking industry.

How Carl Gassner Invented the Dry Cell

In the 1880s, many things like door bells used a type of battery called a wet Leclanché cell. These batteries used a liquid inside that often dried out. When the liquid dried, the battery stopped working. To fix this, another inventor, Georges Leclanché, tried to make the liquid thicker in 1876. He added starch to the liquid to make it more like a jelly. This made his battery easier to carry around.

In 1885, Carl Gassner decided to improve the Leclanché cell even more. He found a way to make the liquid inside the battery solid. He used a material called plaster of Paris to hold the liquid in place. He also added special chemicals, including zinc chloride. The zinc chloride helped stop the battery's metal parts from wearing away when it wasn't being used. This made the battery last much longer.

Gassner received a patent for his invention in Germany on April 8, 1886. He also got a patent in the United States on November 15, 1887. He earned patents in other countries too, like Austria-Hungary, Belgium, France, and England.

His dry cell battery became very popular around 1890. The story goes that a friend who owned a shop asked Gassner for help because his doorbell wasn't working. Gassner gave him one of his new dry cell batteries, and it worked perfectly! Soon, other shopkeepers wanted his amazing new battery too.

Later, the head of the post office in Erfurt ordered 100,000 of Gassner's batteries. This big order meant Gassner had to open a factory in Frankfurt. He could have become very rich from his invention. However, he decided to give up his rights to the Frankfurt company. This stopped the large-scale production of his battery. Carl Gassner is buried in the main cemetery in Mainz.

The Amazing Zinc-Carbon Battery

The dry cell battery that Carl Gassner helped create is often called a zinc-carbon battery. These batteries are very common even today. They are used in many everyday items. They were a huge step forward because they were much safer and easier to use than older, wet batteries. They didn't leak as easily and could be carried around without spilling.

See also

• History of the battery
• Georges Leclanché
• Leclanché cell
• Zinc-carbon battery