The gasogene (or gazogene or seltzogene) is a late Victorian device for producing

carbonated water Carbonated water is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, either artificially injected under pressure, or occurring due to natural geological processes. Carbonation causes small bubbles to form, giving the water an effervescent quali ...

. It consists of two linked glass globes: the lower contained water or other drink to be made sparkling, the upper a mixture of

tartaric acid Tartaric acid is a white, crystalline organic acid that occurs naturally in many fruits, most notably in grapes but also in tamarinds, bananas, avocados, and citrus. Its salt (chemistry), salt, potassium bitartrate, commonly known as cream of ta ...

and

sodium bicarbonate Sodium bicarbonate ( IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda (or simply “bicarb” especially in the UK) is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cat ...

that reacts to produce

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

. The produced gas pushes the liquid in the lower container up a tube and out of the device. The globes are surrounded by a

wicker Wicker is a method of weaving used to make products such as furniture and baskets, as well as a descriptor to classify such products. It is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as . Wicker was first documented ...

or wire protective mesh, as they have a tendency to explode. The earliest occurrence of the word noted in the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

'' dates from 1853, quoting a reference in ''Practical Mechanic's Journal'' on "Gaillard and Dubois' 'Gazogene' or Aerated Water apparatus".

In popular culture

A gasogene is mentioned as a residential fixture at 221B Baker Street in

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

story " A Scandal in Bohemia": "With hardly a word spoken, but with a kindly eye, he waved me to an armchair, threw across his case of cigars, and indicated a spirit case and a gasogene in the corner." One is also mentioned in "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone". The device plays a key role in Bernard Shaw's 1905 comic play '' Passion, Poison, and Petrifaction, Or The Fatal Gazogene''. The word is also used in Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's novel '' Brimstone'', published in 2005, on page 106, and in their 2010 novel '' Fever Dream'' on page 362, and in their 2013 novel "White Fire." A gasogene is mentioned, on page 13, as being in the forensic laboratory of Dr. Kingsley, consultant forensic examiner of Scotland Yard in Alex Grecian's 2012 novel ''The Yard''. A gasogene is mentioned and its use described in Sherry Thomas's novel '' A Study in Scarlet Women'' (Book 1 of the Lady Sherlock series) on pages 244 to 246. (Ebook )

Amelia Peabody Amelia Peabody Emerson is the protagonist of the Amelia Peabody series, a series of historical mystery novels written by author Elizabeth Peters (a pseudonym of Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, 1927–2013). Peabody is married to Egyptologist Radcli ...

pulls a bottle of whiskey, a gasogene, and glasses from a hamper in order to make herself a whiskey and soda after getting her family on a train to Luxor in the novel '' The Golden One'' by Elizabeth Peters, a pen name of Barbara Mertz.

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picture and description
a
221b BAKER STREET/LA
Carbonated water Industrial gases {{drinkware-stub

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References

External links