The invention of illuminating gas changed the world in the 19th century. In cities, kerosene lamps and candles were no longer the staples of illumination. There could be abundant light even without the sun. This new light came from burning coal gas. Coal gas made from the right kind of bituminous coal burns with a brilliant flame. A lesson that was soon learned was that this new gas could not be compressed safely. Hence, those with good memories can recall the gas holders like the one shown in the postcard of the Old Colony Gas Works at the top of the page. A large cylinder, open at one end, was positioned with a frame over a pool of water. This cylinder, guided by the frame and a system of rollers, rose and fell as gas was added or removed. This allowed the pressure to stay very close to that of the atmosphere. The chemistry of why this gas was not safe to compress was known in the Edwardian period near the turn of the 19th century. But the lesson was not fully appreciated. The picture at the bottom shows the same view as the postcard but after the plant had exploded in 1949. The news clipping relates how the explosion began while compressing the gas. The gas in the presence of iron reacts with itself giving off a great deal of heat. The products of this reaction are what we will be studying in this talk.
       Producer gas is a general term for mixtures of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Such mixtures can react to create the explosion shown above. Illumnating gas is one form of producer gas that contains many other ingredients that give a bright flame. It is made by heating coal. Heating coal in the presence of steam or heating organic materials containing chemically bound water, such as wood, also makes producer gas. Up until the availability of national gas pipelines to provide communities with natural gas (methane) producer gas was used for heating and cooking.