Dr William CRUIKSHANKChemist, Discovered the metal Strontium
First battery capable of mass production
Born 1745?, England
Died 1810, England
Dr William Cruickshank was an English chemist who developed the first battery fit for mass production in 1802. He did this by arranging square sheets of copper, which he soldered at their ends, together with sheets of zinc of equal size. These sheets were placed into a long rectangular wooden box that was sealed with cement. Grooves in the box held the metal plates in position. The box was then filled with an electrolyte of brine, or watered down acid. This design had the advantage of not drying out with use and provided more energy than Volta’s battery. Cruickshank also performed experiments leading to the electroplating process and discovered the metal Strontium in 1787, which is named after the Scottish village of Strontian.  |
