On Creating a Voltaic Cell

Baron here.  Shame. That's what I feel about how poorly this particular experiment went. The goal was to make a voltaic cell that didn't suck. I failed. Twice actually. The first time I used pop cans. I figured "oh, well these things are made of tin right? *first mistake* I'll just polish them with steel wool *second mistake* then use nails as the other electrode *third mistake*. I guess I should go to the kitchen to try and mix up the most acidic solution I can *fourth mistake*.

 

   
     It turns out pop cans, as you
     probably know, are usually a
     steel-aluminum alloy coated in
     tin. Not surprisingly, not only
     did the steel wool rub off this
     tin, it introduced two new
     types of electrodes (Fe & Al).

This abomination is onion and balsamic vinegar, blended. It smells worse then it looks, and it looks worse then troll blood.

Thought it would be a good idea to grind the rust off the nails first. turns out that was a waste of time too.

0.11 volts Max.        

Later that evening, feeling mildly pleased with myself for actually getting a voltage I though, "lets see what voltage a "spit cell" (a spit soaked wad of paper between two different coins) makes. That's when I felt depressed about my wasted hour, because then I made a voltage of 0.28 in about 20 seconds. This is what I made the next day:

It's 3 voltaic piles, same idea as a spit cell except multiplied a couple times over. This one also took me about an hour, and again I felt depressed that I'd wasted a lot of time because this puppy cranked only 0.5 volts at maximum.  In hind sight, I've learned a lot. And gained a new appreciation for the batteries re-charging on my wall, powering my phone, laptop, electric shaver, wireless headphones, car starter, remotes... it's impressive.

-The Baron