the miracle that never happened
Cold fusion is the idea that hydrogen nuclei can be forced together without excess temperature. Heavy hydrogen is identical to light hydrogen in a chemical sense; it makes the same chemical bonds. Heavy hydrogen can bond with oxygen to form heavy water. Two men have clearly become associated with this miracle- Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons. On March 23, 1989, they held a press conference at the University of Utah announcing that they had achieved fusion at room temperature. They were wrong.
Fleischmann and Pons tried to invoke fusion using electrolysis. They believed that if they passed an electrical current through heavy water using palladium rods as electrodes, that they could force deuterium into the rods. This is achieved by using the right amount of electricity. In standard electrolysis, the H and O in water separate, and the H bubbles off. But Fleishmann and Pons tried to manipulate the current so that instead of driving the deuterium off, they forced it into the palladium where it would build pressure. Palladium has unique properties which, theoretically, could allow it to absorb deuterium and not send it bubbling off. As the voltage increased, the electrical pressure on the deuterium in the palladium rods would increase, creating pressures as high as those found in the core of a star (Peat 77-80).
Fleischmann has been called a "latter-day Leonardo" because of his brilliance in a number of fields. Ultimately he chose to focus his intellectual gifts on chemistry. His brilliance was first shaped at Imperial College London by it’s unique laboratory teaching techniques (Close 71). After receiving his doctorate in 1951, Fleischmann’s international reputation became well established. He had a tendency to solve problems in ways that no one else even thought of. He suggested links to problems that were out of most people’s intellectual realm. He was described by his colleague at Southhampton, Alan Bewick, as "more innovative than an other electrochemist in the world." (Close 71).
Pons is different from Fleischmann. He is perhaps not as brilliant, but still accomplishes as much. He is a hardworking man who is infatuated with his work. It has been said that in order to relax, Pons reads a math book (Peat 64). Pons ended his PhD course early in America, in order to work for his family’s business. When he eventually decided to finish getting his degree, he chose to get it in England because he could receive his degree faster than he could in the US (Close 73). It was here that he met Fleischmann, and became friends.
Although Fleischmann and Pon’s work turned out to be misinterpretted, it was none-the-less brilliant. No other duo at the time came up with their idea, their dream. This is possible because of their relationship. Pons and Fleischmann were both electrochemists- their fields were not different. But they did not have the same mental processes. Pons was the methodical hard worker, and Fleischmann was the man with the flashes of genius. But there’s more to it than that. The two men get along very well.
"When Martin is around, there is a special intensity in Stan," said Richard Steiner of the University of Utah (Peat 65). Some people feel that Fleischmann is the genius between the two. More people feel that "it is a matter of the creative sparks that fly when the two men meet." (Peat 65). This unique relationship is perfect for scientific discovery, and is why Fleischmann and Pons were the only men bold enough to propose an experiment as radical as their own. Even Pons realized this, and said, "We [Fleischmann and I] realize we are singularly fortunate in having the combination of knowledge that allowed us to accomplish a fusion reaction in this new way." (Peat 65).
Before their experiment even began, both men lectured about the power of electric currents. The fact that 40,000 degrees Celsius was required to split a NaCl ion, but only 4 volts of electricity would do the trick. Electrochemistry also showed capability of creating very high pressures. It’s use of energy was considered by the two men as being very efficient. Temperature and pressure were both required to start the fusion process. Electricity seemed the most efficient means to that end.
In fact, the most important theoretical discovery of their entire project came to the pair as they were hiking together in Utah. The key to cold fusion would be forcing the nuclei close enough to each other and holding them there long enough to allow for quantum tunneling. Each man was an expert on electrolysis in his own right, and they were talking about the unique properties of palladium. Palladium is the metal which allows deuterium atoms to enter and move about during electrolysis. On their hiking trip, they realized through conversation that palladium could be used to trap and force nuclei together. (Peat 65).
After coming to this realization, the two chemists went to Pons’ house and talked about what it would take to make an electrolytic cell that would produce the desired results. Fleischmann said of their relationship, "Stan and I talk often of doing impossible experiments. We each have a good track record of getting them to work." (Peat 65). The two men tested their cell in their own homes, even using Pons’ son as a lab assistant. Nothing important happened, until one night in 1985 the cell became so hot that it melted down. At this point they believed they had created nuclear power from water.
Why did Fleischmann and Pons work so well together? Because they conversed often, their mental processes complemented each other, and they liked each other. Even their hobbies were similar. "It was Pon’s passion for skiing and his interest in cooking which overlapped so well with Fleichmann’s and brought the two men close." (Close 72). Fleishman admitted that their idea of using palladium and electrolysis to pressurize hydrogen could not have been attained alone. "I could show you where we were when we first discussed it. We were hiking in Milcreek Canyon in Utah. If I had been on my own I probably would not have done it." (Close 77).
