A battery converts what type of energy

Each electrochemical cell consists of two electrodes separated by an electrolyte. So where does an electrochemical cell get its electricity from? To answer this question, we need to know what electricity is. Most simply, electricity is a type of energy produced by the flow of electrons. In an electrochemical cell, electrons are produced by a chemical reaction that happens at one electrode more about electrodes below! To understand this properly, we need to have a closer look at the cell's components, and how they are put together.

To produce a flow of electrons, you need to have somewhere for the electrons to flow from , and somewhere for the electrons to flow to. The electrons flow from one electrode called the anode or negative electrode to another electrode called the cathode the positive electrode. These are generally different types of metals or other chemical compounds. He stacked lots of these cells together to make the total pile and crank up the voltage. But where does the anode get all these electrons from in the first place?

And why are they so happy to be sent off on their merry way over to the cathode? There are a couple of chemical reactions going on that we need to understand. At the anode, the electrode reacts with the electrolyte in a reaction that produces electrons. These electrons accumulate at the anode. Meanwhile, at the cathode, another chemical reaction occurs simultaneously that enables that electrode to accept electrons. The technical chemical term for a reaction that involves the exchange of electrons is a reduction-oxidation reaction, more commonly called a redox reaction.

The entire reaction can be split into two half-reactions, and in the case of an electrochemical cell, one half-reaction occurs at the anode, the other at the cathode.

Reduction is the gain of electrons, and is what occurs at the cathode; we say that the cathode is reduced during the reaction. Oxidation is the loss of electrons, so we say that the anode is oxidised. Each of these reactions has a particular standard potential. Standard potentials for half-reactions Below is a list of half reactions that involve the release of electrons from either a pure element or chemical compound. E 0 is measured in volts.

So, if you take lithium and fluoride, and manage to combine them to make a battery cell, you will have the highest voltage theoretically attainable for an electrochemical cell. This list also explains why in Volta's pile, the zinc was the anode, and silver the cathode: the zinc half-reaction has a lower more negative E 0 value Any two conducting materials that have reactions with different standard potentials can form an electrochemical cell, because the stronger one will be able to take electrons from the weaker one.

But the ideal choice for an anode would be a material that produces a reaction with a significantly lower more negative standard potential than the material you choose for your cathode. What we end up with is electrons being attracted to the cathode from the anode and the anode not trying to fight very much , and when provided with an easy pathway to get there—a conducting wire—we can harness their energy to provide electrical power to our torch, phone, or whatever.

The difference in standard potential between the electrodes kind of equates to the force with which electrons will travel between the two electrodes. In these cells a chemical action between the electrodes and electrolyte causes a permanent change, meaning they are not rechargeable. This causes the chemical action to go in reverse, effectively being restored, meaning that they are rechargeable. Batteries are often rated in terms of their output voltage and capacity.

The capacity is how long a particular battery will last in Ah Ampere hours [2] :. Batteries can also be rated by their energy capacity.

This is either done in watt-hours or kilowatt-hours. The University of Colorado has graciously allowed us to use the following Phet simulation.

Is it possible to collect energy from a moving roller coaster? Which is more likely to happen first: solar panels on every home, or giant solar power plants? Can sound be converted to useful energy?

How many wind turbines would it take to power all of New York City? Can we calculate the efficiency of a natural photosynthesis process? Browse all questions. What similarities do nuclear energy and chemical energy share? Choose all that apply. Both are types of kinetic energy. Both are types of potential energy.

Both involve magnetic energy. Both involve. Which of these energy changes takes place in a solar cell? Heat energy to light energy B. Light energy to electrical energy C. Electrical energy to heat energy D. Thermal energy to electrical energy C? What type of energy from the Sun do plants use to make their own food? Chemical Energy B.