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

carbonated water Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...

. 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 bananas, tamarinds, and citrus. Its salt, potassium bitartrate, commonly known as cream of tartar, develops naturally i ...

and

sodium bicarbonate Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation ( Na+) and a bicarbonate anion ( HCO3−) ...

that reacts to produce

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

. 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 the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. It was first documented in ancient Egypt using pliable plant material, but in modern times it is made from any pliable, easily woven material. ...

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 first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

'' 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 221B Baker Street is the London address of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the United Kingdom, postal addresses with a number followed by a letter may indicate a separate address within ...

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 Ho ...

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

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 George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

's 1905 comic play '' Passion, Poison, and Petrifaction, Or The Fatal Gazogene''. The word is also used in

Douglas Preston Douglas Jerome Preston (born May 31, 1956) is an American journalist and author. Although he is best known for his thrillers in collaboration with Lincoln Child (including the ''Agent Pendergast'' series and ''Gideon Crew'' series), he has also ...

and

Lincoln Child Lincoln Child (13 October 1957) is an American author of techno-thriller and horror novels. Though he is most well known for his collaborations with Douglas Preston (including the Agent Pendergast series and the Gideon Crew series, among other ...

's novel '' Brimstone'', published in 2005, on page 106, and in their 2010 novel ''

Fever Dream Fever Dream(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''Fever Dream'', a 1979 film by Chick Strand * ''Fever Dream'' (film), an adaptation of Samanta Schweblin's novel (see below) * Fever Dreams (company), a film-development division of the Americ ...

'' on page 362. 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 Alex Grecian (; born Alexander Douglas Grecian on August 6, 1969) is an American author of short fiction, novels, comic books, and graphic novels. His notable works include the comic book series Proof and the novels in the Scotland Yard's Murd ...

's 2012 novel ''The Yard''. A gasogene is mentioned and its use described in

Sherry Thomas Sherry M. Thomas (born 1975) is an American novelist of young adult fantasy, historical romance, and contemporary romance. She has won multiple awards including the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Historical Romance for '' Not Qui ...

's novel ''

A Study in Scarlet Women ''A Study in Scarlet Women'' is a mystery by Sherry Thomas. It is the first novel of Thomas' "Lady Sherlock series". In the novel, Thomas gender-flips Sherlock Holmes into Charlotte Holmes. Thomas said Charlotte creates the fiction of a ...

'' (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 Radcl ...

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 Barbara Louise Mertz (September 29, 1927 – August 8, 2013) was an American author who wrote under her own name as well as under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels. In 1952, she received a PhD in Egyptology from the Univers ...

Notes

References

External links

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

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References

External links