2007-02-28 09:06:13 · 3 answers · asked by digby 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
A combination of sulfuric acid and iron shavings.
The confederate forces used hot air. Other balloons were filled from municipal gas lines when near enough to places with those.
Edit: Yes, electricity could be used to produce Hydrogen in 1864, but electricity was not as easy to come by then, and was most definitely not available for military use in the field. H2SO4 is the chemical compound for Sulfuric Acid, and that diatomic Hydrogen molecule just loves to pop off that bigger molecule with any sort of reaction. Thus, in the field, a chemical, not an electro-chemical reaction was used.
2007-02-28 09:15:01 · answer #1 · answered by goofyguy47 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hydrogen was not produced for observation balloons in 1864 any more than it is today. Balloons then as now were/are hot-air balloons. Today, one lights a propane burner under the gas bag. The gas bag--balloon--fills with hot air and rises. The people of 150 years ago (and the Montgolfier brothers of 250 years ago) lit fires under their gas bags.
2007-02-28 17:19:27 · answer #2 · answered by steve_geo1 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The easiest way to produce hydrogen (and this was true in 1864) is to pass electricity through water (H2O) which is two-thirds hydrogen.
2007-02-28 17:15:24 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋