Zinc–carbon battery

Common card · No. 203929

A zinc–carbon battery (or carbon zinc battery) is a generic disposable battery. It is one of the earliest batteries made for consumer devices, and while it has been overtaken first by “heavy duty” zinc chloride versions, and in recent times by the longer-lasting alkaline and then lithium batteries, zinc-carbon remains useful as a cost-effective option for appliances with low power demand. A zinc–carbon battery is a dry cell that provides direct electric current from the electrochemical reaction between zinc (Zn) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) in the presence of an ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) electrolyte. It produces a voltage of about 1.5 volts between the zinc anode, which is typically constructed as a cylindrical container for the battery cell, and a carbon rod surrounded by a compound with a higher standard electrode potential (positive polarity), known as the cathode, that collects the current from the manganese dioxide electrode. The name "zinc–carbon" is slightly misleading as it implies...

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