Concept

Zinc–carbon battery

A zinc–carbon battery (or carbon zinc battery in U.S. English) is a dry cell primary battery that provides direct electric current from the electrochemical reaction between zinc (Zn) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) in the presence of an ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) electrolyte. It produces a voltage of about 1.5 volts between the zinc anode, which is typically constructed as a cylindrical container for the battery cell, and a carbon rod surrounded by a compound with a higher Standard electrode potential (positive polarity), known as the cathode, that collects the current from the manganese dioxide electrode. The name "zinc-carbon" is slightly misleading as it implies that carbon is acting as the oxidizing agent rather than the manganese dioxide. General-purpose batteries may use an acidic aqueous paste of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) as electrolyte, with some zinc chloride solution on a paper separator to act as what is known as a salt bridge. Heavy-duty types use a paste primarily composed of zinc chloride (ZnCl2). Zinc–carbon batteries were the first commercial dry batteries, developed from the technology of the wet Leclanché cell. They made flashlights and other portable devices possible, because the battery provided a higher energy density at a lower cost than previously available cells. They are still useful in low-drain or intermittent-use devices such as remote controls, flashlights, clocks or transistor radios. Zinc–carbon dry cells are single-use primary cells. Zinc-carbon batteries today have been mostly replaced by the more efficient and safe alkaline batteries. History of the battery By 1876, the wet Leclanché cell was made with a compressed block of manganese dioxide. In 1886, Carl Gassner patented a "dry" version by using a casing made of zinc sheet metal as the anode and a paste of plaster of Paris (and later, graphite powder). In 1898, Conrad Hubert used consumer batteries manufactured by W. H. Lawrence to power what was the first flashlight, and subsequently the two formed the Eveready Battery Company.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc–carbon_battery

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Official source

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc–carbon_battery

About this result

Related courses (10)

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Electric battery

A battery is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering electrical devices. When a battery is supplying power, its positive terminal is the cathode and its negative terminal is the anode. The terminal marked negative is the source of electrons that will flow through an external electric circuit to the positive terminal. When a battery is connected to an external electric load, a redox reaction converts high-energy reactants to lower-energy products, and the free-energy difference is delivered to the external circuit as electrical energy.

Standard electrode potential

In electrochemistry, standard electrode potential , or , is a measure of the reducing power of any element or compound. The IUPAC "Gold Book" defines it as: "the value of the standard emf (electromotive force) of a cell in which molecular hydrogen under standard pressure is oxidized to solvated protons at the left-hand electrode". The basis for an electrochemical cell, such as the galvanic cell, is always a redox reaction which can be broken down into two half-reactions: oxidation at anode (loss of electron) and reduction at cathode (gain of electron).

Manganese dioxide

Manganese dioxide is the inorganic compound with the formula MnO2. This blackish or brown solid occurs naturally as the mineral pyrolusite, which is the main ore of manganese and a component of manganese nodules. The principal use for MnO2 is for dry-cell batteries, such as the alkaline battery and the zinc–carbon battery. MnO2 is also used as a pigment and as a precursor to other manganese compounds, such as potassium permanganateKMnO4. It is used as a reagent in organic synthesis, for example, for the oxidation of allylic alcohols.