Voltaic Cell

• Voltaic Cell: Used to produce electrical energy from chemical energy
• The electrodes are made from metals with different reactivity

  • Negative electrode: More reactive metal, ex. Zinc
  • Positive electrode: Less reactive metal, ex. Iron
• Electrolyte is a strong acid, ex. sulfuric acid
• The negative electrode loses electrons; these flow through the simple circuit to the positive electrode to produce voltage. This is measured on the attached voltmeter.
• Note: The greater the difference in reactivity, the greater voltage produced