SUBJECT: CHEMISTRY

TOPIC: Electrochemical cells

SUBMITTED BY: AREEJ AHMAD
CLASS: XII-F
SUBMITTED TO:

am grateful to m
ELECTROCHEMISTR
Y:
(Production of current
through SELFMADE battery)
 Abstract
An electrochemical cell is a device
capable of either deriving electrical
energy from chemical reactions or
providing chemical reactions through the
introduction of electrical energy. A
common example of electrochemical cell
is a standard 1.5-volt battery.
The lemon battery is similar to the first
electrical battery invented in 1800 by
Alessandro Volta, who used brine instead
of lemon juice. The lemon battery is
described in some textbooks in order to
illustrate the type of chemical
reaction that occurs in batteries. The
zinc and copper are called
the electrodes, and the juice inside the
lemon is called the electrolyte. There are
many variations of the lemon cell that
use different fruits as electrolytes and
metals other than zinc and copper as
electrodes. Batteries are used to
illustrate the connection between
chemistry and electricity as well as to
deepen the circuit concept for
electricity. The fact that different
chemical elements such as copper and
zinc are used can be placed in the larger
context that the elements do not
disappear or break down when they
undergo chemical reactions. Batteries
serve to illustrate the principles of
oxidation-reduction reactions.

theory
This model of the chemical reactions
makes several predictions that were
examined in experiments published by
Jerry Goodisman in 2001. Goodisman
notes that numerous recent authors
propose chemical reactions for the
lemon battery that involve dissolution of
the copper electrode into the electrolyte.
Goodisman excludes this reaction as
being inconsistent with the experiments,
and notes that the correct chemistry,
which involves the evolution of hydrogen
at the copper electrode, has been known
for many years. When the electrolyte
was modified by adding zinc sulfate
(ZnSO4), the voltage from the cell was
reduced as predicted using the Nernst
equation for the model. The Nernst
equation essentially says how much the
voltage drops as more zinc sulfate is
added. The addition of copper sulfate
(CuSO4) did not affect the voltage. This
result is consistent .When the battery is
hooked up to an external circuit and a
significant electrical current is flowing,
the zinc electrode loses mass, as
predicted by the zinc oxidation reaction
above. Similarly, hydrogen gas evolves
as bubbles from the copper electrode.
Finally, the voltage from the cell
depended upon the acidity of the
electrolyte, as measured by its pH;
decreasing acidity causes the voltage to
fall. This effect is also predicted by the
Nernst equation; the particular acid that
was used doesn't affect the voltage
except through the pH value.
The Nernst equation prediction failed for
strongly acid electrolytes (pH < 3.4),
when the zinc electrode dissolves into
the electrolyte even when the battery is
not providing any current to a circuit.
The two oxidation-reduction reactions
listed above only occur when electrical
charge can be transported through the
external circuit. The additional, open-
circuit reaction can be observed by the
formation of bubbles at the zinc
electrode under open-circuit. This effect
ultimately limited the voltage of the cells
to 1.0 V near room temperature at the
highest levels of acidity.
Energy source: The energy comes from
the chemical change in the zinc (or other
metal) when it dissolves into the acid.
The energy does not come from the
lemon or potato. The zinc
is oxidized inside the lemon, exchanging
some of its electrons with the acid in
order to reach a lower energy state, and
the energy released provides the power.
In current practice, zinc is produced
by electron winning of ZnSO4 or
pyrometallurgic reduction of zinc with
carbon, which requires an energy input.
The energy produced in the lemon
battery comes from reversing this
reaction, recovering some of the energy
input during the zinc production.
 EXPERIMENTAL WORK

 MATERIAL REQUIRED
 DISTILLED WATER, COLDRINK, SALT WATER
 CONNECTING WIRE
 COPPER AND ZINC STRIPS
 DIGITAL CLOCK

 PROCEDURE
 Assemble a “connection pair” by connecting the
wire carefully thread the wire’s exposed metallic
end through the holes on the plate. Gently twist
wire to secure it to the plate.
 Afterwards, connect the black wire from the LCD
clock (negative) to one of the zinc plate. Then
connect red wire from LCD clock (positive) to piece
of copper plate. Now all the components are
connected
 Insert the copper and zinc plates into salt water
such that the metallic strips do not touch each
other. The clock now starts to work.
 Repeat this experiment with distilled water &
coldrink.

OBSERVATION
As soon as we connect the wires and put
the key on electricity generated by the fruit juice
flows through the clock, making the clock run in
case of salt water and coldrink. The clock does not
work when the rods are immersed in distilled water
as no current flows.

Result/conclusion
The metal strips and liquid make a simple battery
that creates the electricity to operate the clock.
Salty water and coldrink work as a device called
electrochemical cell. It converts the chemical
energy stored in the metal strips into strips into
electrical energy.
A cell works because of the chemical properties of
the metals inside (in this case the copper and zinc).
The different properties cause tiny particles
charged with electricity (ions) to move between
the two strips of metal. This flow is an electric
current. The liquid which conduct electricity
contains the particles that allow the current to
flow, but it stops the metals touching. Electric
current also flows along the wire between the zinc
and copper strips & the clock. This current makes
the clock run.
SALT WATER: The ions present in common salt
sodium chloride dissociate into ions of sodium and
chloride. These ions are responsible for conduction
of electricity. Potential is provided by copper and
zinc rods.
DISTILLED WATER: There is absence of ions in
distilled water therefore the distilled water doesn't
conduct electricity and hence the clock doesn’t
work. Though the H+ and OH- but the pH is 7
therefore the ion dissociation is not enough only
10-7M H+ is present in distilled water. so this can
not conduct electricity.
COLDRINK: The coldrink too contains ions which
dissociate to conduct electricity. Ions in coldrink are