How do you make a battery from a lemon

Team: 43

School: Espanola Valley High

Area of Science: Engineering

Interim: Team:43
School: Espanola Valley High
Area of Science: chemistry
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Interim: How do you make a battery from a lemon?

How do you create a battery from a lemon?

Research:
The battery is made up of two different metals (the steel paper clip and the copper wire). These are called electrodes, which are the parts of a battery where electric current enters or leaves the battery. The electrodes are placed in a liquid containing an electrolyte, which is a solution that can conduct electricity. The electrodes are circuits that allow a small electric current to flow. A single lemon produces about 7/10 of a volt of electricity. If you connected two lemons together, you can power an inexpensive digital watch (uses about 1.5 volts).

The electric current comes from the chemical reaction between the acid in the lemon and the zinc. Positively charged hydrogen in the acid oxidizes the zinc, causing electrons to flow from the zinc to the acid. In the process, some of the hydrogen in the acid is reduced to hydrogen gas. The copper merely completes the circuit. Electricity requires a flow of electrons. Lemon batteries use chemical reactions to generate this electron flow. This conversion of chemical to electrical energy makes the lemon battery a voltaic battery. Voltage generated from a single lemon typically only registers 0.7 volts and to power a digital clock or watch requires at least two lemon batteries wired together. Acid from the lemon reacts with the two metals. Copper and steel (or zinc) act as electrodes in the acid from the lemon. The different metals allow for atoms from one to move through the lemon to the other metal. This atomic movement cannot continue indefinitely and once it stops, the battery dies.
Progress:
We have created 2 models using two different types of wire. We want to see if a smaller copper wire gave us the same results as a wider copper wire. Trying both it seemed both gave us the same results. We discovered the length, flexibility and width make give you different results.
Other info:
This is a single cell of a battery. The zinc nail and the copper penny are called electrodes. The lemon juice is called electrolyte.
All batteries have a "+" and "-" terminal. Electric current is a flow of atomic particles called electrons. Certain materials, called conductors, allow electrons to flow through them. Most metals (copper, iron) are good conductors of electricity. Electrons will flow from the "-" electrode of a battery, through a conductor, towards the "+" electrode of a battery. Volts (voltage) are a measure of the force moving the electrons.
Team Members:
Daniel Carballo
Brittany Gutierrez

Team Members:

  Brittany Gutierrez
  Daniel Carballo
  Tomas Albor

Sponsoring Teacher: John Reese

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