An instrument invented by Alessandro Volta (1745 - 1827) some time around 1777 and used to show the explosive action of a spark on certain mixtures. Spark-producing devices were used by Volta in the construction of arquebuses, muskets and pistols.
The device was used over a long period of time to show the effect of combination induced by an electrical spark when it passes through a mixture of two gases blended following a volume ratio equal to their combination ratio, e.g. hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio of two to one.
When the combination reaction is exothermic, as in the case of hydrogen and oxygen, and it takes place in a recipient closed with a cork, the sharp increase in temperature causes a violent expansion of the gas produced which causes the expulsion of the cork with a loud detonation.
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