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Alessandro Volta

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Alessandro Volta

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Solanlly Montoya Ocampo

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ALESSANDRO VOLTA, CREATING AND

STORING ELECTRICITY

Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) was an Italian physicist and chemist, pioneer of electricity and
energy, inventor of the electric battery, which was the first source of direct electric current.

His experimental work in the field of chemistry and electricity, and his theoretical contributions
to 18th century discussions on the same subjects, led to major developments in physics and
electromagnetism.

Because of the importance of his scientific contributions and the impact they had on the lives of
ordinary people, Volta was a highly recognized scientist in his time. He was not only celebrated
by poets and musicians but also loved by governments.

Apart from his scientific contributions, Volta successfully held political positions of high
relevance. So much so that he was admired by Napoleon Bonaparte, who awarded him high
honors for his work.

Early studies
Alessandro showed interest in the phenomena of nature as a child; however, the first education
he received -basic and middle school- was more of a humanistic character. His first school was a
Jesuit school in his town.

It is said that the teachers of this school wanted to motivate him to continue his formation in the
religious area. On the other hand, his family pressured him to dedicate himself to the law, since
it was a traditional family career.

In the midst of these pressures, Alessandro stood firm in his own interests and chose a scientific
education once he began his higher education.

Conclusions on current and animal tissue

Since 1794 Volta was interested in the generation of electric current through metals, without
using animal tissue, which was a popular notion at that time.

Luigi Galvani, who was another notable scientist and friend of Volta, had made some
experiments in this field a few years earlier, in 1780. According to the experiments made by
Galvani, it was possible to generate electric current when two metals with different
characteristics made contact with the muscle of a frog.

On that occasion, Volta repeated those experiments and obtained similar answers, but he was
not entirely convinced with the result.

Then, through several experiments performed in 1794, Volta was able to confirm that animal
tissue was not necessary to generate electric current. This was a revolutionary statement for the
time.

From this moment on, Volta began his quest to prove his hypothesis and obtain the approval of
the scientific community. Volta carried out several experiments and finally, in 1800, the first
electric battery came to light.

The battery created by Volta consisted of 30 metal wheels separated from each other by wet
cloths. Finally, Volta made his invention public before the Royal London Society, which after
carrying out several verifications, gave Volta the credit of being the inventor of the first electric
battery.

Bibliography