In one episode of the 1960s television sitcom, Gilligan’s Island, the famous “professor” constructed voltaic cells to use as substitutes for their radio’s dead batteries. A single D-cell has an emf of 1.5 V. Which scraps of metal from their damaged boat, the Minnow, could best be used to create a 1.5 V voltaic cell? Assume that coconuts make great beakers and that seawater is a terrific electrolyte. E°
Iron/iron(II) (the anchor) -0.44 V
Lead/lead(II) (fishing weights) -0.126 V
Silver/silver(I) (Mrs. Howell’s brooch) -0.799 V
Aluminum/aluminum(III) (the boat’s flagpole) -1.677 V
use the equation
E cell = E cathode - E anode
Lets try with lead cathode and silver anode
E cell = -0.126 - (-0.799) = 0.673
we are trying to get an Ecell = 1.5 V, lets try using the aluminum as an anode:
now use the iron as a cathode so:
E cell = -0.44 - (-1.677) = 1.237 V
Lets try lead cathode and aluminum anode:
E cell = -0.126 - ( - 1.677) = 1.551 V
using lead as a cathode and aluminum as an anode is the best choice.
In one episode of the 1960s television sitcom, Gilligan’s Island, the famous “professor” constructed voltaic cells...
In your adventure across pulau seribu you are stranded in one of the islands. The cell phone was out of range and the only communication was radio’s boat. The battery happened to be dead. You have to construct 1.5 Volt voltaic cells to be use as substitutes for radio’s dead batteries. The materials available were as follow (Assume that coconuts make great beakers and that seawater is a terrific electrolyte!) Metal/Metal ion E lead/lead(II) (fishing weights) –0.126 iron/iron(II) (the anchor)...