Lemon battery how does it work

If there are multiple ways to go from one electrode to the other, the electricity will take the path that lets it flow most easily. Now that you know the essentials of a battery, let's examine some household materials. Aluminum foil is a good conductor—electricity flows easily through it. The human body conducts electricity as well, but not as well as aluminum foil. Electrodes are as common as copper pennies you might have stashed in your piggy bank.

As for electrolytes, they are found all over the kitchen; lemon juice is just one example. A simple household battery might be easier to make than you imagined!

Observations and results Did you feel the tingling in your fingertip? The battery you just made has a copper and an aluminum electrode separated by electrolyte lemon juice. It will generate electricity as soon as the electricity has a path to flow from one electrode to the other. You created this path using strips of aluminum, a material that conducts electricity well.

By connecting your battery to your fingertip, you allowed the small amount of electricity it generates to run through your body. This amount of electricity can create a tingling feeling in a fingertip. Experiences will differ from person to person. Some people might only feel the bigger signal generated by connecting several batteries in a particular way. Letting the aluminum strips touch provides a very easy way for the electricity to run from one electrode to the other, so almost no electricity will travel through your body and the tingling sensation disappears.

Plastic and wood do not conduct electricity well; none will be felt when using these materials as connections. Metals, on the other hand, conduct electricity well. Different combinations of metals as electrodes will influence the amount of electricity generated. Using identical metals as electrodes will not generate electricity, however. In this activity you made a very low-voltage homemade battery. But using commercial batteries can be dangerous—and never experiment with wall outlets!

More to explore Batteries , from ExplainThatStuff! How Do Batteries Work? This activity brought to you in partnership with Science Buddies. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. Key concepts Electricity Batteries Electrochemical reaction Electric conductor Introduction Can you imagine how your life would change if batteries did not exist?

Materials At least two pennies Water A few drops of dishwashing soap Paper towels Aluminum foil at least nine by 60 centimeters Scissors Ruler At least one lemon preferably with a thin skin Plate Knife and an adult's help when using it At least two plastic-coated paper clips Preparation Wash your pennies in soapy water, then rinse and dry them off with a paper towel. This will remove any dirt sticking to them. Carefully cut three aluminum foil rectangles, each three centimeters by 20 centimeters.

Fold each strip in thirds lengthwise to get three sturdy one-centimeter-bycentimeter aluminum strips. Note: In this activity you will make a very low-voltage battery. The amount of electricity generated by this homemade battery is safe, and you will even be able to test it by touching your finger to it and feeling the weak current.

Higher voltages of electricity, however, can be very dangerous and even deadly; you should not experiment with commercial batteries or wall outlets.

Procedure Place the lemon on its side on a plate and have an adult carefully use the knife to make a small cut near the middle of the lemon away from either end.

Just like regular batteries, it contains acid. Acid attacks the zinc atoms, and some change into positively charged ions charged atoms that have an unequal number of electrons or protons. An electric current is created between the two metals. When the zinc atoms change into ions, they leave their electrons behind. Connect a wire to the battery terminals and they flow out of the zinc electrode and into the copper electrode.

Electrolyte is why this type of battery is called a chemical battery. Battery basics. Besides lemons, you can use other fruits such as grapefruit or kiwi fruit , juicy vegetables, and even potatoes to make a battery. All of them contain the electrolytes needed to make electricity.

Battery mechanisms. These are called dry batteries. The most basic dry battery of all is the manganese battery. The whole container called a can is made of zinc, and serves as the negative electrode. A solution called manganese dioxide is mixed into the electrolyte to make it solid.

The positive terminal is a metal cap connected to a carbon rod that sticks down into the electrolyte. It all combines to make the battery safer and more efficient. Alkaline manganese dry batteries have a different design, but produce electricity in the same way as our simple lemon battery. Fuel Battery. Magnetic Energy Storage Battery.

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Menu MENU. Global Network. Buy Online. Electrochemical cells, also called batteries, require three things—two electrodes and one electrolyte. One of the electrodes has to have a stronger desire for electrons than the other—in chemistry we say that it has a higher electronegativity.

The electrode that wants the electrons more is called the cathode , and the one that gives up electrons is electropositive and is called the anode. An electrolyte is a solution that conducts electricity. The lemon provides citric acid, and acids contain ions which conduct electricity, making the lemon our electrolyte. When zinc is exposed to the acid in the lemon juice, the acid oxidizes—or removes electrons from the zinc.

The resulting positively charged zinc ions move into the lemon juice, and the resulting electrons collect in the zinc metal. They then rush across the wire into the copper which wants electrons more than zinc. Those electrons, now in the copper, pull a couple of protons or hydrogen ions out of the acid and reduce them, adding electrons, which creates hydrogen gas. If we could see inside the lemon, we might be able to see very very tiny bubbles of hydrogen gas forming on the copper electrode.

In summary, the electricity is not coming from the lemon by itself, but from the chemical reaction resulting from the differences in electronegativities between zinc and copper.

Source: Dr. Lemon Batteries Can you get power from a lemon? Advanced Not Messy 60 Minutes Indoor. Batteries consist of two different metals suspended in an acidic solution. Is it possible to use the acid in a lemon to power a light? Try it to find out! You Will Need 4 or more large, fresh, juicy lemons or other citrus fruits A kitchen knife 4 or more zinc electrodes You can find galvanized washers or roofing nails at most hardware stores, or you can purchase either zinc or magnesium wire online 4 copper electrodes Copper-coated pennies work, or you can find bare copper wire or copper plumbing fittings at most hardware stores 1 light-emitting diode LED component We recommend a red LED because they typically need lower voltages to glow than other colors, but many colors will work.

Directions Ask your scientist to create a testable question. Carefully clean your zinc and copper electrodes to remove any dirt or grease. Careful not to scrub all of the zinc coating off the galvanized washers or nails. Roll one lemon on a hard surface while pushing down to break the cell walls and loosen up the juice inside.

The sour acidic juice is needed for the chemical reaction that you are about to start. Place the lemon on its side on a plate and have an adult carefully use the kitchen knife to make a 2 small cuts in the top of the lemon.

Make each cut about two centimeters long, one centimeter deep, and about 0. To conserve lemons, you can cut 1 lemon in half, and put the electrodes in either the cut side or the rind side. Insert one zinc electrode deep into one of the cuts, and one copper electrode deep into the other. Leave some sticking out so you can connect your wires to them. You have now made a lemon cell!