the generation of nitrogen using the methods of the present invention may be particular useful in electrochemically driven fluid dispersers . for example , fig1 illustrates a dispenser for a fluid 10 . the disperser has a body 12 and an outlet nozzle 14 . there is a piston 16 and a bellows 18 to force the fluid 10 from the nozzle 14 . the necessary force is generated by an electrolytic gas generator 20 having an external circuit that includes a resistor 22 , battery 26 and a switch 24 . fig4 a and ab illustrate alternative embodiments of electrochemical cells according to various aspects of the invention . such cells may be made of a sandwich construction comprising an anode 36 , such as a gelled anode , in a conductive cup 38 , such as a brass cup , having a contact 40 to enable wiring [ t ] to an external circuit . an electrolyte 42 is contained in a thin - walled tube 44 . a permeable cathode , such as a screen 46 backed by a graphite felt 48 and a brass disk current collector 50 may be used , with a contact 52 to enable wiring to the external circuit . the cell may be contained in a polypropylene cylinder 54 . a spring washer 56 on cup may be retained by a lip 60 on cylinder 54 . fig5 shows the configuration of a bipolar cell , in which cells such as those illustrated in fig4 a and 4b are compressed in series with electronic contact between adjacent anodes and cathodes , for example by spring loading of washer 56 . brass plate current collectors 50 and contacts 52 are omitted from all cathodes except the end cathode . in the cells shown in fig4 a , 4b and 5 , thin - walled tube 44 may be selected to be sufficiently flexible to permit compression of the cells , such as by spring washer 56 , as reactants electrolyte 42 and anode 36 are depleted . such compression may help to ensure that good electrical contact is maintained , for example between electrolyte 42 and anode 36 . a sealed connection between tube 44 and cap 38 may be preferred to avoid loss of electrolytes and short - circuiting of the bipolar cells . in one aspect , the invention accordingly provides a for an electrolytic cell comprising an anode , a cathode and an electrolyte biased together in electrical contact , electrolyte being contained by a flexible membrane adapted to accommodate compression of the electrolyte , the housing having an opening to permit passage of gas evolved from the electrolyte during electrolysis . a permeable cathode , for example comprised as illustrated of a screen 46 backed by a graphite felt 48 , is useful to permit egress of gas into the space defined by container 54 . electrolyte 42 may preferably be adapted to be sufficiently viscous or solid to operate in combination with a permeable cathode to allow gas to be evolved from the cathode , but to prevent loss of electrolyte . the electrolyte should however be sufficiently liquid to permit adequate mass transfer to provide for a desired rate of gas evolution . a variety of absorbent materials or gelling agents may be used to stabilize the electrolyte against leakage , including hydrophilic absorbent materials such as cellulose sponges , cotton wool , synthetic felts , diatomaceous earth , and gelling agents such as carbopol , carboxymethylcellulose and others . the electrolyte solution should contain an ionic compound ( salt , acid or base ) capable of mediating electrical conductivity . an electrolyte compound may also provide antifreeze properties . in some embodiments , antifreeze properties may be associated with the use of inorganic electrolytes such as sodium chloride , calcium chloride , sulphuric acid or ammonium sulphate . an organic antifreeze agent may also be added to the electrolyte to depress its freezing point , some embodiments , examples of organic antifreezes may include ethylene glycol , dimethyl sulphoxide , methanol , ethanol or urea . as set out particularly in examples 6 through 9 herein , additives may be used in the electrolyte in undivided cells facilitate generation of nitrogen at the anode while suppressing the co - generation of hydrogen on the cathode . a typical cathode reaction in an undivided cell ( such as those shown in fig1 b , 4a and 4 b ) is the generation of hydrogen electro - reduction of water : hydrogen is however an undesirable product in some devices , such as certain lubricant dispensers , for the reasons discussed in the background section herein . it may accordingly be useful to use additives in an electrolyte that will react preferentially at the cathode to suppress the evolution of hydrogen , such compounds are termed herein “ cathode depolarisers .” examples 6 through 9 disclose particular embodiments of such compounds . in some embodiments , preferred cathode depolarizers will not be reduced to products that suppress the evolution of nitrogen at the anode . in various embodiments , the invention provides a variety of alternative cathode depolarizers , such as cupric salts , nitroguanidine , nitroethanol and nitromethane . the performance of candidate cathode depolarizers may be determined empirically in the context of a particular electrolytic cell . preferred depolarizers may be obtained where the electro - reduction at the cathode is substantially irreversible . some depolarizers may not work well under some conditions , such as low temperature ( for example below − 25 ° c .). some cathode depolarizers , such as some copper salts , may promote the spontaneous decomposition of some organic nitrogen compounds , such as methyl hydrazine - carboxylate , to nitrogen ( a reaction that may compromise the shelf life of cells containing these reactants ). potential cathode reactions of exemplified depolarizers are set out below ( although this information may assist others in identifying other members of this class of compounds , they do not necessarily represent the true or complete nature of the cathode reactions — which are not all known ): 1 . cupric salts , i . e . cu −− ( e . g . cupric sulphate , as set out in examples 4 and 5 ): nh 2 ( nh ) chnno 2 + 6h − + 6e −→ nh 2 . ( nh ) chnnh 2 + 2h 2 o ohch 2 ch 2 no 3 + 6h − + 6e − → ohch 2 ch 2 no 3 + 2h 2 o ch 3 no 2 + 6h − + 6e − → ch 3 nh 2 + 2h 2 o in one embodiment , a nitrogen gas generator is assembled as shown in fig1 b , comprising : ( a ) a circuit comprising an external energy source 26 , such as two 1 . 5 v alkaline batteries connected in series ; a resistor 22 , such as a variable resistor from 1 to 100 kohm ; and a switch 24 ; ( b ) an undivided electrochemical cell 20 comprising : i ) electrolyte solution 27 , comprising an active nitrogen compound , in one embodiment , methyl hydrazine carboxylate ( about 0 . 1 to 4m ), urea ( about 0 . 1 to 1m ), ammonium sulphate ( about 0 . 1 to 2m ) and water , all absorbed in a cellulose sponge ; ii ) anode 21 and cathode 25 , which in various embodiments may be graphite fibre impregnated with a polymer such as nylon ™ or polypropylene grafoil , pyrolytic carbon , carbon black , platinum or gold . the probable ( but unknown ) methyl hydrazine carboxylate anode reaction ( as in examples 6 , 8 and 9 ) is : in such an embodiment , when switch 24 is closed to turn the circuit on , with a resistance 12 of 6 kohm , this cell generated about 2 . 5 ml stp of gas per day over a period of 14 days at 23 ° c . in another embodiment , a nitrogen generator was assembled according to fig2 and consisted of : ( a ) an external electronic circuit comprising switch 24 with a resistor 22 , which may be a variable resistor ; ( b ) an electrochemical cell 23 divided by a cation membrane 29 ( such as the sulfonated perfluoroethylene polymer sold under the trademark nafion 324 by e . i . dupont & amp ; denemours co ., wilmington , del ., u . s . a ., or equivalents thereof ) with : i ) a catholyte 27 of a solution of sodium bromate in aqueous sulphuric acid ; ii ) an anolyte mixture of sodium azide ( about 0 . 1 to 4m ), sodium bicarbonate ( about 0 . 1 to 1m ), sodium iodide ( about 0 . 1 to 1m ) and sodium thiocyanate ( about 0 . 1 to 1m ) in water ; iii ) electrodes of nylon ™ impregnated graphite fibre and grafoil ( such as the product sold under the trade - mark grafoil ™ gtb by union carbide corp .). this cell showed open circuit ( zero current voltage of 2 . 73 volt under ambient conditions ( i . e . about 22 ° c ., 101 kpa ) and when the circuit was closed through a 2 kohm resistor the current and voltage varied respectively from approximately 0 . 3 to 0 . 1 ma and 0 . 6 to 0 . 2 volt over a period of 40 days . the azide oxidation reaction is catalyzed by the iodide / thiocyanate system . the putative net anode reaction for the azide is : in an alternative embodiment , a nitrogen generator was assembled according to fig2 and consisted of : ( a ) an external electronic circuit comprising switch 24 with a resistor 22 , which may be a variable resistor ; ( b ) a cathode 25 of graphite in contact with an oxidant 27 consisting of a paste of manganese dioxide in aqueous sulphuric acid ( about 1 to 4m ); ( c ) an anolyte mixture 31 of oxalic dihydrazide ( about 0 . 1 to 3m ) in aqueous sulphuric acid ( about 0 . 1 to 1m ); ( d ) an anode 21 of graphite . on open circuit , this cell showed a voltage of 0 . 8 volt and no gas was generated at either electrode over a period of several days . when the circuit was closed , gas ( nitrogen ) was generated at the anode . the probable ( but unknown ) electrode reactions are : in an alternative embodiment , a nitrogen generator was assembled according to fig3 and consisted of : ( a ) an external electronic circuit comprising switch with variable resistance , as in examples 2 and 3 ; ( b ) a bipolar electrochemical unit with 2 cells : i ) a first cathode 25 of nylon ™ impregnated graphite fibre with an oxidant 33 paste of manganese dioxide plus carbon powder ; ii ) a catholyte 27 of sulphuric acid ( about 1 to 4m ) in water absorbed in cellulose felt ; iii ) a bipolar electrode 29 of copper sheet ; iv ) an anolyte 31 mixture of : cupric sulfate ( about 0 . 1 to 1m ); sulphuric acid ( about 0 . 1 to 1m ); methyl hydrazine - carboxylate ( about 0 . 1 to 2m ); water ; for which the anode reaction is uncertain and the putative cathode reaction is : a bipolar electrode is one without electronic connection to the current supply one face of which acts as an anode surface and the opposite face of which acts as a cathode surface when an electric current is passed through the cell . on open circuit ( zero current ), this unit produced a voltage of 0 . 54 volt . the circuit was closed through a resistor of 1 kohm and over a period of 90 days the current ranged from 0 . 5 to 0 . 25 ma while the voltage dropped from about 0 . 5 to 0 . 25 volt and gas was generated spontaneously at a rate of about 0 . 15 millimole / day ( i . e . 3 . 4 ml stp / day ). this rate of gas generation corresponds to about 100 % currency efficiency for a putative methyl hydrazine - carboxylate anode reaction 5 . ch 3 co 2 nhnh 2 → ch 3 co 2 h + n 2 + 2h − + 2e − ( 5 ) the cathodic generation of hydrogen is suppressed by a depolariser for depolarising the bipolar electrode , such as a copper salt like cupric sulfate , which may mediate the preferential electrodeposition of copper on the copper bipole by reaction 6 . in a further alternative embodiment , a nitrogen generator was assembled according to fig4 and consisted of : ( a ) an external electronic circuit with variable resistance , as in examples 2 through 4 ; ( b ) a bipolar electrochemical unit with 2 cells : i ) a first cathode 21 of “ grafoil ” graphite sheet ; ii ) a first electrolyte 31 consisting of a gelled mixture of : methyl hydrazine carboxylate ( about 0 . 1 to 4m ); cupric sulfate ( about 0 . 1 to 1m ); acetic acid ( about 0 . 1 to 1m ); water ; iii ) a bipolar conductor 29 of grafoil sheet ; iv ) a second anode 37 of gelled zinc particles in a brass cup 41 ; v ) a second electrolyte 27 of gel ( such as 30 % by weight carbopol gelling agent , potassium hydroxide solution ( plus additives )); an oxidant 39 such as a paste of manganese dioxide with carbon powder ( in about 30 % by weight koh ). on open circuit at 23 ° c ., this unit gave a voltage of about 1 . 2 volt and produced 10 ml stp of gas in 7 days . when the circuit was closed though a 1 kohm resistor a current of 0 . 01 ma gave 8 ml stp of gas in two days . the putative electrode reactions in this bipolar unit are : first anode : ch 2 co 2 nhnh 2 → ch ? co ? h + n + 2h − + 2e − a nitrogen gas generator was assembled as in fig1 b , comprising : ( a ) a circuit with two alkaline 1 . 5 v batteries connected in series ( 26 ), a 3 kohm resistor ( 22 ) and a switch ( 24 ); ( b ) an undivided electrochemical cell ( 20 ) with : ( i ) about 15 ml of an electrolyte solution ( 27 ) absorbed in a cellulose sponge , composed of approximately : 2 . 7 grams methyl hydrazino - carboxylate ( anode reactant ); 3 . 5 g sodium chloride ( electrolyte ); 3 . 9 g nitroguanidine ( cathode depolar - iser ); and , water ; ( ii ) an anode ( 21 ) and cathode ( 25 ), each composed of nylon ™ impregnated graphite fibre . this nitrogen generating cell was inserted into a commercial automatic lubricant dispenser ( ats electro - lube mini - luber ) as shown in figure ia ( with 2 1 . 5v batteries used in the external circuit ). the dispenser was loaded initially with about 100 grams of grease ( 10 ), with a density of about 900 kg / m . switch ( 24 ) was closed to turn the circuit on , and the unit operated at room temperature and zero kpa ( gauge ) grease outlet pressure . the consequent grease dispensing rate averaged about 4 cc / day over a 14 day period . the approximate composition of total gas produced by the electrochemical cell over 14 days was as shown in table 1 . this nitrogen generating cell was inserted into a commercial automatic lubricant dispenser ( ats electro - lube mini - luber ) as shown in figure ia ( with two , 1 . 5v batteries 26 used in the external circuit ). the dispenser was loaded initially with about 100 grams of grease ( 10 ), with a density of about 900 kg / m ? . switch ( 24 ) was closed to turn the circuit on , and the unit operated at room temperature and zero kpa ( gauge ) grease outlet pressure . the consequent grease dispensing rate averaged about 2 . 8 cc / day over a 14 day period . the approximate composition of total gas produced by the electrochemical cell over 14 days was as shown in table 2 . this nitrogen generating cell was inserted into a commercial automatic lubricant dispenser ( ats electro - lube mini - luber ) as shown in figure ia ( with 2 1 . 5v batteries used in the external circuit ). the dispenser was loaded initially with about 100 grams of grease ( 10 ), with a density of about 900 kg / m 3 . switch ( 24 ) was closed to turn the circuit on , and the unit operated at room temperature and zero kpa ( gauge ) grease outlet pressure . the consequent grease dispensing rate ranged from about 2 . 8 cc / day to 0 . 4 cc / day over a 21 day period . the approximate composition of total gas produced by the electrochemical cell over 21 days was as shown in table 3 . component volume % ( dry basis ) hydrogen 0 . 0 oxygen 0 . 7 nitrogen 88 . 1 methane 0 carbon monoxide 0 . 9 carbon dioxide 4 . 6 nitrous oxide 5 . 8 a nitrogen gas generator was assembled as in fig1 b , comprising : ( a ) a circuit with two alkaline 1 . 5 v batteries connected in series ( 26 ), a 3 kohm resistor ( 22 ) and a switch ( 24 ); ( b ) an undivided electrochemical cell ( 20 ) with : ( i ) about 15 ml of an electrolyte solution ( 27 ) absorbed in a cellulose sponge , composed of approximately : 2 . 7 grams methyl hydrazino - carboxylate ( anode reactant ); 2 . 7 g sodium chloride ( electrolyte ); 2 . 7 g nitromethane ( cathode depolar - iser ); 3 . 0 g ethylene glycol ( antifreeze ); 3 . 0 g dimethyl sulphoxide ( antifreeze ); and , water ; ( ii ) an anode ( 21 ) and cathode ( 25 ), each composed of nylon ™ impregnated graphite fibre . this nitrogen generating cell was inserted into a commercial automatic lubricant dispenser ( ats electro - lube mini - luber ) as shown in figure ia ( with 2 1 . 5v batteries used in the external circuit ). the dispenser was loaded initially with about 100 grams of grease ( 10 ), with a density of about 900 kg / m switch ( 24 ) was closed to turn the circuit on , and the unit operated at room temperature and zero kpa ( gauge ) grease outlet pressure . over a period of 49 days , the current in the circuit ranged from an initial value of 0 . 49 ma to a final value of 0 . 28 ma . the graph of fig6 shows a plot of grease volume dispensed as a function of time over the 49 day run . the approximate composition of total gas produced by the electrochemical cell over 49 days was as shown in table 4 . the electrolytic cells of the invention may be housed as shown in fig1 a in a dispenser for a fluid 10 . the dispenser has a body 12 and an outlet nozzle 14 . there is a piston 16 and a bellows 18 to force the fluid 10 from the nozzle 14 . the necessary force is generated by a electrolytic gas - generating cell 20 having an external circuit that includes a resistor 22 and a switch 24 . fig4 a and 4b illustrate a housing for cells according to the present invention . the housing is of a sandwich construction optionally comprising an anode 36 in a conductive cup 38 ( such as brass ) having a contact 40 to enable wiring to an external circuit . there is an electrolyte 42 ( which may be gelled ) contained in a flexible , thin - walled tube 44 and a cathode 46 ( which may be a screen ) backed by a porous member such as graphite felt 48 to allow gas to escape , and a disk current collector 50 ( which may be brass ), with a contact 52 to enable wiring to the external circuit . the cell is contained in a an outer wall 54 ( such as a polypropylene cylinder ). there is a plastic spring washer 56 on cup 38 retained by a lip 60 on cylinder 54 . the combination of the spring loaded housing and the flexible , thin - walled electrolyte enclosure 44 allows the cells to contract over time as gas is evolved , which helps to ensure that the components of the cell remain in electrical contact . the use of the flexible , thin - walled enclosure 44 helps to prevent electrolyte from leaking from one cell to the next in multi - cell units , which could short - circuit the units . the electrolyte may also be gelled or absorbed in a solid to reduce its propensity to migrate , although the extent to which it is desirable to ‘ solidify ’ the electrolyte is limited by the need to permit species to migrate through the electrolyte during electrolysis . fig5 shows the configuration of a bi - cell . in multiple cell reactors , several of the cells shown in fig4 are compressed in series with intimate electronic contact between adjacent anodes and cathodes . this contact is facilitated by the spring loading of the housing , such as with washer 56 . a rigid wall , such as a polypropylene cylinder , may encompass the composite cell . reference numerals are as in fig4 a and 4b .
the invention provides methods and devices for the electrochemical generation of nitrogen from organic nitrogen compounds , such as hydrazides , the corresponding organic hydrazino - carboxylates and amino - guanidine salts nh 2 h 2 co 3 ). a variety of organic hydrazides and hydrazino - carboxylates may be used , and empirically tested for performance . for example , in the hydrazides and hydrazino - carboxylates “ r ” may be an alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl or aryl group , in some embodiments methyl , ethyl , or benzyl . the alkyl , alkenyl and alkynyl groups may be branched or unbranched , substituted or unsubstituted . the utility of such compounds may be routinely assayed in accordance with the guidance provided herein , including the examples set out herein in which alternative nitrogen compounds may be substituted for routine test purposes .