Understanding Batteries: Anode, Cathode and Current Explained

1653 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of batteries in modern society

Chemistry Batteries [Chemistry HSC Course-1]

What is an Anode?
“The negatively charged electrode of an electrical device, such as a primary cell, that supplies current.”
“An anode is an electrode through which conventional current flows into a polarized electrical device.”

What is a Cathode?
“The positively charged electrode of an electrical device, such as a primary cell, that supplies current.”
“A cathode is the electrode from which a conventional current leaves a polarized electrical device.”

What is Current?
“A flow of electricity which results from the ordered directional movement of electrically charged particles.”
The flow of electrons makes a charge that delivers useful power which could be used to light an LED

What is Electrolyte? …show more content…

The cell has wide usage in many different appliances like calculators, toys and clocks. The technical name for the cell is Leclanche cell. This cell is relatively cheap as it was the first commercially battery which left a big impact upon society because it powered many devices like torches, portable radios and toys and made many other devices possible. With so many other cells today, the dry cell is mainly used in devices that require only a small amount of current such as small electronic toys. The cell is robust, easy to store and use. There is minimal environmental problems if disposed of as the manganese(III) is readily oxidised to stable insoluble manganese(IV) oxide and so becomes immobilized meaning it will not react with the environment and cause harm to the organisms surrounding. The small quantities of zinc in the cell are not a problem as they are not hazardous along with ammonium salts and also the carbon which are …show more content…

This means that they give up both their valence electrons to become positively charged ions. When the zinc ions are moving away from the anode and leaving their electrons on the surface this makes the anode more negatively charged than the cathode. If a device is connected to the cell, the electrons move through the device (now a completed circuit) to the graphite rod (cathode). This movement of electrons creates the electric current for the Leclanche cell. After passing through the circuit, the electrons then reach the cathode where they combine with the manganese dioxide (MnO2 ) and water which react with each other to produce manganese oxide (Mn2O3) and negatively charged hydroxide ions. There is also another reaction happening at the same time where the negative hydroxide ions react with the positive ammonium chloride in the electrolyte to produce molecules of water and

Show More
Related

  • Flubber

    481 Words  | 1 Pages

    The first term that I noted during the movie was Conductive Polymers. Conductive polymers are almost always organic meaning a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. These polymers have extended delocalized bonds which are bonds found in a molecule that do not belong to a single atom or covalent bond. They are conjugated systems of double bonds and in a aromatic systems. The conjugated systems are atoms covalently bonded with alternating single and double bonds. When the electrons are removed or added into the valence bands the electrical conductivity increases. The conductive polymer has a low conductivity until the electron is removed from the valence band called (p-doping) or (n-doping) until it becomes more conductive. The movement of the charges is what is responsible for electrical conductivity. These polymers are plastic which are organic polymers and with mechanical properties such as flexibility and elasticity.

    Read More

  • Investigating Which Metal Combination Gives Out the Most Voltage in a Solution

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    Metals contain a sea of electrons (which are negatively charged) and which flow throughout the metal. This is what allows electric current to flow so well in all metals. An electrode is a component of an electric circuit that connects the wiring of the circuit to a gas or electrolyte. A compound that conducts in a solution is called an electrolyte. The electrically positive electrode is called the anode and the negative electrode the cathode.

    Read More

  • Technology Introducs Lithium-Ion Batteries

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    These reasons are why Lithium-Ion Batteries are some of the most viable options when designing new gadgets. But, the structure of these batteries are why these batteries are being used for new gadgets. A Lithium-Ion Batt...

    Read More

  • A Summary Of The Effect Of Intensity On The Power Of Solar Cells

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rough trials showed the following: · Using the thin layer polycrystalline cell, I found that pressing contacts onto the surface of the cell scratched it, so I taped wire pickups onto the top and bottom with transparent tape, as shown on the pictures. I noticed that the readings obtained for the current produced by the cell were inconsistent between ammeters (see Experiment Five). I therefore changed my method for the amorphous and monocrystalline cells and used the voltage readings and the

    Read More

  • The Electrolysis of Copper Sulphate

    588 Words  | 2 Pages

    The electrolyte (solution) contains negative and positive ions. For electrolysis to work there must be the same amount of positive ions to negative ions so that the solution is electrically balanced. A solution of metal compounds can only conduct electricity if it is balanced. The negative ions are attracted to the anode (+ve electrode) and the positive ions (protons) are attracted to the cathode (-ve electrode). The electrolyte effect the amount of atoms attracted.

    Read More

  • Electroplating Experiment

    2202 Words  | 5 Pages

    The cell anode is usually a piece of the metal to be plated from solution; this enables the anode reaction of metal dissolution to replace the metal ion lost from solution by the cathodic decomposition. Factors There are many various factors that affect the mass deposited during electroplating:- 1). Current (A) - An increase in the amount of current increases the amount of substance deposited in a fixed amount of time, because there is more energy available to move ions/electrons to the cathode from the anode. A smaller current will pump fewer copper ions from the anode to the cathode in the same amount of mass gained on the cathode is lower. 2).

    Read More

  • Force

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    electromotive force, abbr. emf, difference in electric potential, or voltage, between the terminals of a source of electricity, e.g., a battery from which no current is being drawn. When current is drawn, the potential difference drops below the emf value. Electromotive force is usually measured in volts.

    Read More

  • What is the Difference Between AC and DC

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    First off, what is current. Current is expressed in a unit called Amps. Amps are a measurement of how many electrons pass per second. That is to say, a wire with 40 coulombs passing any point in a 2 seconds would be said to have 20 Amps of current (40 Coulombs (a unit of charge given as 6.24x1018 electrons) / time in seconds or in this case, 2 seconds. The Amp is also known as Coulombs per second) Another trick about current is that it is measured in the movement of the positive charge. Literally that is to say the current moves in oppostion to the electrons. This is because originally it was thought that the positive charge is what moved, both are viable, but in reality a positive charge is generally fixed since within an atom the electrons are migratory, while the protons and neutrons tend to be stationary.

    Read More

  • Direct and Alternating Current

    480 Words  | 1 Pages

    All useful generators of electricity come in two basic forms, alternating current and direct current. Direct current (dc) comes from generators that do not change in polarity, always producing a positive charge. In alternating current (ac) the polarity of the terminals is always changing from positive to negative. Thus you are left with alternating current flow. There are different ways of measuring and generating alternating and direct current.

    Read More

  • The Invention and Development of the Battery

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    Advantages of these batteries are that it has a high density of energy and still has room to improve for future applications. This type of battery doesn’t need “priming” for first uses compared to other batteries. Also, it has a very low self-discharge, meaning the battery can retain its charge for prolonged periods of time. Furthermore, compared to other batteries, it can provide higher current to power tools and a more consistent power output, all the way until the battery is nearly dead.

    Read More

  • Ohm's Law: Electrical Conductivity and Resistence

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    Numerous factors influence electrical conductivity and resistance, two of them are temperature and length of the wire (these are external factors). Electrical conductivity is defined as the property used to describe how well materials allow electrons to flow, and the degree to which a specific material conducts electricity., Electrical conductivity is calculated as the ratio of the current density in the material to the electric field that causes the flow of current. The SI unit of electrical conductivity is Siemens per meter (S/m). Electrical conductivity is also commonly represented by the Greek letter σ (sigma), but κ (kappa) (especially in electrical engineering) or γ (gamma) are alsowhich are occasionally used. Electrical resistivity quantifies how strongly a specific material opposes the flow of electric current. Electrical resistivity is commonly represented by the Greek letter ρ (rho). The SI unit of electrical resistivity is the ohm⋅metre (Ω⋅m) although other units like ohm⋅centimetre (Ω⋅cm) are also in use.

    Read More

  • Batteries and Their Importance

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    cell we use today. The positive pole is a rode of carbon embedded in a

    Read More

  • Volume's Effect on a Copper Sulphate Solution

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    An electrode is a component of an electric circuit that connects the conventional wiring of the circuit to a conducting medium such as an electrolyte or a gas. The electrically positive electrode is called the anode and the negative electrode the cathode. If an anode and a cathode are placed in a solution of an electrolyte and a source of direct current is connected between them, the positive ions in the

    Read More

  • Fuel Cell Essay

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction of positively charged hydrogen ions with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Fuel cells are different from batteries in that they require a continuous source of fuel and oxygen or air to sustain the chemical reaction, whereas in a battery the chemicals present in the battery react with each other to generate an electromotive (emf). Fuel cells can produce electricity continuously for as long as these inputs are supplied.

    Read More

  • Hall Effect Essay

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    Consider a material, either a semiconductor or conductor as shown in the below figure. When voltage is applied, electric current starts flowing in the positive x direction (from left to right). If a magnetic field is applied to this current carrying conductor in a direction perpendicular to that of the flow of current (that is z direction), an electric field is produced in the conductor that exerts force in the negative y direction (downwards).

    Read More

More about Understanding Batteries: Anode, Cathode and Current Explained

Open Document