ABSTRACT
A close relative of Willie must have been the Professor of Chemistry at Grenoble University in France. When therefore Claude Louis Berthollet discovered potassium chlorate in his laboratories at Essonne in France he realised its potential for releasing oxygen and sought a use for his discovery. The importance of oxygen in the combustion process was established in the 18th century by the renowned chemists Antoine Laurent Lavoisier and Berthollet. The Professor would demonstrate the properties of each gas by putting a lighted taper into a gas bubble; an oxygen bubble would make the taper burn fiercely and the hydrogen bubble would give a small bang. The apparatus was set up but the Professor was delayed and Ted, wishing to demonstrate the gases himself, switched on the electrical current. Many bubbles frothed over the dish of soap solution. He plunged the taper into the bubbles and there was an explosion which blew out the windows of the laboratory.
