This 200-Year-Old Lighter Ignites Without a Spark

Steve Mould May 17, 2025
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Steve Mould

@stevemould

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I make videos about science. I also write books! You can get them here: https://stevemould.com/books You can support me on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/stevemould You can discuss my videos on reddit: https://reddit.com/r/SteveMould For sponsorships and brand deals please email [email protected] To get in touch with me about anything else visit https://stevemould.com/contact

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Learn more and apply to Jane Street’s WiSE program in New York, London or Hong Kong: https://jane-st.co/wise25-stevemould Döbereiner's lamp uses a platinum catalyst to react hydrogen with oxygen. Huge thanks to Marcus at Marb's lab for making the lamps. Here's the excellent making of video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeF87A-nhtA You can support me on Patreon and get access to the exclusive Discord: https://www.patreon.com/stevemould Twitter: http://twitter.com/moulds Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevemouldscience/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stevemouldscience/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/stevemould Buy nerdy maths things: http://mathsgear.co.uk #DöbereinersLamp #HydrogenLighter #SparklessIgnition #PlatinumCatalysis #VintageTech #SteveMould #ScienceYouTuber #EducationalYouTube #ScienceExplained 0:00 Introduction 0:30 What Is Döbereiner’s Lamp? 0:47 The Chemistry Behind it 1:13 The Power of Platinum Catalysis 1:36 I Got My Hands on One! 2:07 Why Zinc Matters 2:43 Creating Hydrogen on Demand 3:23 Let’s Talk Valves 3:44 When Platinum Glows 4:20 Wait—Where Does the Water Go? 5:12 Into the Orbitals 7:12 Water’s Exit Strategy 8:10 Happy 16th birthday to the channel 8:17 So… Why All the Hype? 8:49 Firemaking Through History 9:00 The “Strike Anywhere” Match 9:15 The Birth of the Modern Lighter 9:30 Zippo’s Warm Little Cousin 10:30 Catalytic Perfume Diffusers 11:07 The Hydrogen Fuel Cell 12:12 Outro

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