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Chapter 17: Q39E (page 961)

Why do batteries go dead, but fuel cells do not?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Fuel cells do not go dead because they use chemical energy to produce electrical energy.

Step by step solution

01

Batteries and Fuel cells:

  • A battery is a self-contained device that generates electricity, but a fuel cell is a galvanic cell that requires a continual external supply of one or more reactants to function.
  • The Leclanche dry cell is one form of battery that incorporates an electrolyte in an acidic water-based paste.
02

Find out why batteries die but gasoline does not:

  • Batteries are self-contained and have a finite amount of reagents to use before they die. Alternatively, by-products of the battery reaction accumulate and interfere with the process.
  • Fuel cells do not go dead because they use chemical energy to produce electrical energy and they do so as long as the fuel is available. So, given an unlimited source of fuel, a fuel cell will never go dead, unlike a battery.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Why is it not possible for hydroxide ion \(\left( {{\bf{O}}{{\bf{H}}^ - }} \right)\)to appear in either of the half-reactions or the overall equationwhen balancing oxidation-reduction reactions in basic solution?

A current of \({\bf{2}}.{\bf{345}}{\rm{ }}{\bf{A}}\)passes through the cell shown in the Figure \({\bf{17}}.{\bf{20}}\) for \({\bf{45}}\) minutes. What is the volume of the hydrogen collected at room temperature if the pressure is exactly \({\bf{1}}\) atm? Assume the voltage is sufficient to perform the reduction. (Hint: Is hydrogen the only gas present above the water?)

Use the data in Appendix \({\rm{L}}\) to determine the equilibrium constant for the following reactions. Assume 298.15\({\rm{K}}\) if no temperature is given.

(a) \({\bf{AgCl(s)}}\rightleftharpoons {\bf{A}}{{\bf{g}}^{\bf{ + }}}{\bf{(aq) + C}}{{\bf{l}}^{\bf{ - }}}{\bf{(aq)}}\)

(b) \({\bf{CdS(s)}}\rightleftharpoons {\bf{C}}{{\bf{d}}^{{\bf{2 + }}}}{\bf{(aq) + }}{{\bf{S}}^{{\bf{2 - }}}}{\bf{(aq)}}\) at \({\bf{377\;K}}\)

(c) \({\bf{H}}{{\bf{g}}^{{\bf{2 + }}}}{\bf{(aq) + 4B}}{{\bf{r}}^{\bf{ - }}}{\bf{(aq)}}\rightleftharpoons {\left[ {{\bf{HgB}}{{\bf{r}}_{\bf{4}}}} \right]^{{\bf{2 - }}}}{\bf{(aq)}}\)

(d) \({{\bf{H}}_{\bf{2}}}{\bf{O(l)}}\rightleftharpoons {{\bf{H}}^{\bf{ + }}}{\bf{(aq) + O}}{{\bf{H}}^{\bf{ - }}}{\bf{(aq)}}\) at \({\bf{2}}{{\bf{5}}^{\bf{^\circ }}}{\bf{C}}\)

An active (metal) electrode was found to gain mass as the oxidation-reduction reaction was allowed to proceed. Was the electrode part of the anode or cathode? Explain.

Consider the following metals: Ag, Au, \(Mg, Ni,\)\(and\)\(Zn\). Which of these metals could be used as a sacrificial anode in the cathodic protection of an underground steel storage tank? Steel is mostly iron, so use \( - 0.447\;{\rm{V}}\) as the standard reduction potential for steel.
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