Alessandro Volta?

Question

I need some information about Alessandro Volta and how he discovered Methane gas. Nothing else, just the methane gas. and maybe some links to pictures

Answer 1

from http://www.bookrags.com/Alessandro_Volta
In 1774 Volta was appointed professor of physics at the gymnasium in Como, and that same year he made his first important contribution to the science of electricity, the invention of the electrophorus, a device which provided a source of electric potential utilizing the principle of electrostatic induction. Unlike earlier source of electric potential, such as the Leyden jar, the electrophorus provided a sustained, easily replenishable source of static electricity. In 1782 Volta announced the application of the electrophorus to the detection of minute electrical charges. His invention of the so-called condensing electroscope culminated his efforts to improve the sensitivity of earlier electrometers.

During these same years Volta also conducted researches of a purely chemical nature. He had for some time been experimenting with exploding various gases, such as hydrogen, in closed containers and had observed that when hydrogen and air were exploded there was a diminution in volume greater than the volume of hydrogen burned. In order to measure such changes in volume, he developed a graduated glass container, now known as a eudiometer, in which to explode the gases. Utilizing this eudiometer he studied marsh gas, or methane, and distinguished it from hydrogen by its different-colored flame, its slower rate of combustion, and the greater volume of air and larger electric spark required for detonation.



In 1776 Volta became involved with an entirely different subject. By studying the components of marsh gas, he was able to discover methane gas. He also exploded hydrogen gas to remove oxygen from air and was able to make the first accurate determination of the proportion of oxygen in the air. Later, around 1796, Volta discovered that the vapor pressure of a given liquid had nothing to do with the pressure of the surrounding atmosphere; it was solely dependent on temperature.

Answer 2

Google is really useful for this sort of thing.