Electro chemical (Voltaic) Cells

Lemon batteries & the voltaic pile

Electromotive force (EMF) & simple circuits

(a) introduce the properties of a battery, (b) explain how a battery produces a direct current (DC) in a circuit and (c) learn various circuit symbols for sketching schematic circuit diagrams.

Electromotive force (emf, denoted ε and measured in volts (J/C)) is a difference in potential that tends to give rise to an electric current.

The Activity Series for metals

The activity series is a list of metals and their half-reactions arranged in order of decreasing ease of oxidation or increasing ability to take an electron.

TED-Ed: How batteries work

Batteries are a triumph of science—they allow smartphones and other technologies to exist without anchoring us to an infernal tangle of power cables. Yet even the best batteries will diminish daily, slowly losing capacity until they finally die. Why does this happen, and how do our batteries even store so much charge in the first place?

Galvanic Cells (Voltaic Cells)

All about Galvanic Cells, which are also called Voltaic Cells. These are devices that use a chemical reaction to create electricity. Moving electrons create electricity, and electrons flow from the anode, the site of oxidation, to the cathode, the site of reduction.

The Lemon Battery

Using a lemon (citric acid) as an electrolyte, use various metals as electrodes to determine the reactivity of the metals.

Instructables: Penny Battery

Lemon batteries in series

It was empirically determined that the copper and zinc posts will give us the greatest potential difference between electrodes.

10 lemon batteries in series gave us an potential difference of 8.63 volts

How a Lemon Battery works

This video explains the science behind a lemon battery. The chemical reactions involved and the flow of electrons creating electricity.

The Voltaic pile (stack)

Use pre 1982 pure copper pennies, zinc washers and an electrolytic solution to create a voltaic pile.

Single pile with an older pure copper penny on the left has approximately double the voltage as a newer (post 1982) penny with less copper content.

How To Make a 3 Penny Battery

Is there energy hidden inside your pocket change? Convert pennies into make-shift batteries that can drive small current devices like LED's and calculators.