Even though several breakthroughs in Chemistry were achieved by them, the Curie’s are known to majority of the world for their revolutionary work on radioactivity. However, it is amazing to know that one of their discoveries has given one of the most common accessories any kitchen has. Not related to radioactivity, this is the Gas Lighter. Based on the principle of piezoelectricity, which is one of the discoveries made by Jacques Curie and Pierre Curie. Piezoelectric lighters are an economic solution to light gas stoves. Ever wondered how does a small force of thumb produces a spark of the order of kilo volts (kV)? Let’s have a look on the insides and working of the lighter in this device dissection article.  

Every big fire starts as a little spark.“Spark”, has been the first step of mankind towards progress and prosperity. Spark from the stones that created the first fire; fire gave ability to mould and soften things. Even today, one needs a little spark to set things off, from firing furnaces for extraction of metals to sending an airship to the space, to cooking our supper. Without a spark there would be no fire, and without a fire, fuel would not burn. If fuel would not burn, then energy would not be released, and if there is no energy release, most things of the today’s world would come to a screeching halt. One such device that ignites fuel in our day to day activities, especially in the kitchen, is the electric lighter.Now, most kitchens depending on LPG are already equipped with a piezoelectric lighter, so why would one want to switch over to an electric variant? Why use something that runs on batteries when we have something that can run without it? Electronic gas lighters are relatively lighter and have replaceable batteries.