Zinc-Carbon Cell

You must be familiar with the batteries used in the TV remotes or the wall clocks. Those batteries are made up of two cells. 

A single power generating unit in chemistry is termed a cell. A group of cells is termed a battery. 

What Is A Dry Cell?

The batteries which are used in our daily life come into the category of dry cells. It is made up of electrochemical cells, whose function is to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. On the basis of the dry cell, batteries are classified into two parts:

• Primary cell: The cells which can’t be reused or recharged after one time of use is known as the primary cell. Some examples of primary cells are Zinc-carbon cells, alkaline batteries, and mercury batteries. 

• Secondary cell: The cells which can be recharged and reused even after use are known as secondary cells. Examples of secondary cells include Nickel Cadmium cell, Lithium-ion cell, and Nickel-metal hydride cell. 

Uses of dry cells :

• Since alkaline is highly efficient and long-lasting, they are ideal for small devices like calculators, watches, clocks, etc.

• For many small motor designs, dry cell batteries are used; the size of the battery is determined by how much current it needs to operate the motor.

•  In large motor designs, dry cell batteries are used. Large motor designs are typically powered by dry cell batteries, which fall into three categories: automotive, marine, and deep cycle.

What Is A Zinc-Carbon Cell?

Another name for the zinc-carbon cell is the Leclanche cell. 

• The zinc-carbon cells consist of a graphite rod inside them, which is usually covered with a paste of electrolyte having low moisture. 

• The covering is made of a metal container. The container of the metal is made of the element zinc and is known as an anode. The metal container acts as a negative electrode. 

• The rod of carbon that is present inside the container is the cathode and always acts as a positive electrode. 

• The chemicals surrounding these cells are manganese dioxide and other electrolytes like ammonium chloride paste which contains less moisture in it. 

• These are irreversible, and the electrolytes have the power to generate a voltage of a maximum of 1.5V. 

Steps Of The Half-Reaction In Zinc-Carbon Cell

1. The electrolytes which contain moisture undergo a reduction process. The graphite acts as a reducing agent with chemicals like manganese dioxide and ammonium chloride. The chemical reaction for this process is given as follows: 

2NH4+ + 2MnO2 →Mn2O3 + 2NH3 + H2O

2. The container of Zinc is an anode and undergoes the oxidation reaction: 

Zn → Zn2+ + 2e–

The half cell and overall reaction for the Zinc-carbon cell are provided as follows:

ZnCl2 + 2NH3 → Zn(NH3)2Cl2

2MnO2 + H2 → Mn2O3 + H2O

The overall reaction for this is as follows:

Zn + 2MnO2 + 2NH4Cl → Mn2O3 + Zn(NH3)2Cl2 + H2O

Benefits Of Zinc-Carbon Cells

• You can adapt to them easily. 

• It can be easily used in electronic devices used at home.

• You don’t have to worry about the leakages in the zinc-carbon cell. 

• It is one of the most easily and widely used types of battery. 

• You can carry these cells anywhere due to their small structure. 

Conclusion

This article explains zinc-carbon cells in detail. A dry cell is a battery that is made up of electrochemical cells. Dry cells can be classified into two categories – primary and secondary cells.

Zinc-carbon cells fall into the category of primary cells. The zinc-carbon cells consist of a graphite rod inside them, which is usually covered with a paste of electrolyte having low moisture. It is one of the most commonly used batteries at home.