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Step 4Containment of Electrochemical Cells an Other Notes
Although we are primarily concerned with the Baghdad battery in the instructable, this step addresses the containment and construction of any electrochemical cell. I've not arrived at a 'best' cell construction method for quickly evaluating different chemistries, but to provide ideas, I listed photos of various permutations I have attempted - including some earlier versions of my Baghdad cell replica.
I only selected a mason jar as my container because I needed to fit the electrode dimensions of a Baghdad battery. To save time and materials, use much smaller containers and electrode dimensions when evaluating other cells.
Find any sturdy non reactive sealed container that allows for external electrical contact with the electrodes, and if you will be pushing the cell hard, a means to vent any gases that might accumulate (this does not apply to the Baghdad cell).
Materials I have found useful when constructing cells (generally, just use what you have on hand): rubber tape (my new duct tape), rubber stoppers, spice jars, condoms, mason jars, film cannisters, toothbrush holders (also work well for simple voltaic piles), stranded wire to ensure good contact with the electrode surface, emery board or plumber's sand cloth for cleaning metals, liquid tape
One of my current projects is to build a battery monitoring chamber that can run several experiments in parallel and monitor temperature, gas pressures in the cells, etc.. The cells I've constructed for this project are small jars (roughly the size of spice jars) with rubber stoppers that have two slits in them to seal the electrodes, a tube to monitor pressure, and a thermowell contact for temperature - perhaps I'll turn that into an Instructable too.
To Experiment with other chemistries:
As you've likely realized, there is not much to experimenting with electrochemistry, place two dissimilar metals in a jar with some fluid. This table should give some ideas when considering different cell potentials.
To learn about batteries in general, the web is fertile ground. I've also found this book to be very helpful (and affordable relative to other battery books). This book is another well regarded alternative, and I highly recommend it if you want a more comprehensive understanding of batteries. I wasted considerable time in some of my experiments by not purchasing it sooner - it contains lots of data on many different chemistries. It will run ~$100 new, but I'm told it can be found for ~$20 used.
I only selected a mason jar as my container because I needed to fit the electrode dimensions of a Baghdad battery. To save time and materials, use much smaller containers and electrode dimensions when evaluating other cells.
Find any sturdy non reactive sealed container that allows for external electrical contact with the electrodes, and if you will be pushing the cell hard, a means to vent any gases that might accumulate (this does not apply to the Baghdad cell).
Materials I have found useful when constructing cells (generally, just use what you have on hand): rubber tape (my new duct tape), rubber stoppers, spice jars, condoms, mason jars, film cannisters, toothbrush holders (also work well for simple voltaic piles), stranded wire to ensure good contact with the electrode surface, emery board or plumber's sand cloth for cleaning metals, liquid tape
One of my current projects is to build a battery monitoring chamber that can run several experiments in parallel and monitor temperature, gas pressures in the cells, etc.. The cells I've constructed for this project are small jars (roughly the size of spice jars) with rubber stoppers that have two slits in them to seal the electrodes, a tube to monitor pressure, and a thermowell contact for temperature - perhaps I'll turn that into an Instructable too.
To Experiment with other chemistries:
As you've likely realized, there is not much to experimenting with electrochemistry, place two dissimilar metals in a jar with some fluid. This table should give some ideas when considering different cell potentials.
To learn about batteries in general, the web is fertile ground. I've also found this book to be very helpful (and affordable relative to other battery books). This book is another well regarded alternative, and I highly recommend it if you want a more comprehensive understanding of batteries. I wasted considerable time in some of my experiments by not purchasing it sooner - it contains lots of data on many different chemistries. It will run ~$100 new, but I'm told it can be found for ~$20 used.
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