Title
Observations on Lemon Cells
Document Type
Article
Date
4-2001
Keywords
high school, introductory chemistry, chemical education research, misconceptions, discrepant events, electrochemistry
Disciplines
Chemistry
Description/Abstract
The lemon cell, consisting of pieces of two different metals stuck into a lemon or other fruit, is pictured in many general chemistry textbooks without being discussed. We describe simple experiments, suitable for the general chemistry laboratory, which elucidate how this kind of cell works. They show that (i) the cell is not two metal-metal ion half cells, and (ii) the cell reaction involves dissolution of the more active metal and generation of hydrogen on the less active metal. Why the cell works this way is explained, and the cell's historical importance is discussed.
Recommended Citation
Goodisman, Jerry, "Observations on Lemon Cells" (2001). Chemistry - All Scholarship. 16.
https://surface.syr.edu/che/16
Source
local input
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Additional Information
Copyright 2001 Journal of Chemical Education. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and Journal of Chemical Education.
The article may be found at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed078p516