Electrochemistry and Fuel Cells: the Contribution of William Robert Grove
Indian Journal of History of Science, 50.3 (2015) 476-490 DOI: 10.16943/ijhs/2015/v50i4/48318 Historical Notes Electrochemistry and Fuel Cells: The Contribution of William Robert Grove Jaime Wisniak* (Received 19 January 2015) Abstract William Robert Grove (1811-1896), a British lawer, judge, and researcher, discovered the voltaic cell that carries his name (more powerful than the Daniell one), the fuel cell, and carried fundamental research in the area of electrochemistry and allied phenomena. His general analysis of physical phenomena may be considered an expression of the first law of thermodynamics and the negation of perpetual motion. Key words: Daniell cell, Electrochemistry, Energy conversion, First law of thermodynamics, Flame electricity, Gas fuel cell, Grove cell, Perpetual motion, Polarization. 1. INTRODUCTION to Grove being appointed to the first professorial chair of the Institution (1841-1846). William Robert Grove1 was born on July 11, 1811, in Swansea in South Wales, the only son The financial needs for growing a long of Anne Bevan and John Grove, a magistrate and family forced him to return to the practice of law; deputy lieutenant of Glamorgan. After receiving in 1853 he became a Q.C. (Queen Council), in 1871 he was appointed a judge to the Court of private education he registered at Brasenose Common Pleas, and in 1880 he was appointed to College (one of the constituent colleges of the the Queen’s Bench. In 1887, after retirement, he University of Oxford), receiving a B.A. degree in appointed a member of the Privy Council. 1832. He then moved to London to pursue a legal career at Lincoln’s Inn and was called to the bar William Grove passed away on August 1, 1896, after a long illness and was buried at Kensal in 1835.
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