Giovanni Fabbroni and the chemical interpretation of Volta’s pile

Abstract Galvani postulated the existence of animal electricity in 1791 after observing that touching the nerves and muscles of a skinned frog with an arc made of two different metals (e.g. Ag and Zn) caused convulsive movement. Alessandro Volta attributed the generation of electricity to the potential difference that arises when different metals come into contact ( metallic electricity , 1796). On the basis of this hypothesis, Volta built his pile by placing discs of zinc and silver, on top of