Module 4

Module 4—Batteries and Balance

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Battery Audit

 

Perform an audit of the commercial electric cells, or “batteries,” used in your home. You might identify all of the devices powered by batteries that you or your family recently used, or you might count the number and types of cells you replaced recently.

 

TR 1. In a table or spreadsheet, list each type of cell and its quantity. You might also want to indicate what device the cell came from (e.g., alarm clock) and, if you can recall, the last time the cell was changed in the device. For devices that you place on a recharger (e.g., cell phone), you might want to indicate the components of the cell (e.g., lithium ion, nickel-cadmium, metal hydride) and how often you recharge the cell. Finally, include an estimate of the quantity of cells you would use in one year.

 

Save your work in your course folder.

 

Discuss

 

Place a copy of your audit in the discussion area for your class. Look at the totals submitted by other students. How would you rank your household’s use of batteries relative to that of other households?

 

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In previous chemistry courses you became aware of chemical waste, which is the product of chemical processes. In this module you will learn more about the contents of commercial cells and the products of the chemical reactions that occur within them. Now is a good time to think about the mass of chemical waste products that come from commercial cells.

 

TR 2. Prepare a spreadsheet to calculate the mass of each type of commercial electric cell that is disposed of by two of the following groups of people. You might use the totals in your audit or in the audits of your classmates to determine average use where required.

1. your household
2. your class
3. your local community

TR 3. How does your household dispose of spent cells? Survey other students in your class to see if there are other ways to dispose of spent cells.

 

Save a copy of your answers in your course folder. You may be asked to submit a copy to your teacher for feedback.

 

Read

 

Electrochemical cells are devices built to use the transfer of electrons that drives redox reactions. The components of an electrochemical cell are the reactants for a reduction-oxidation process. The design allows the exchange of electrons between reactants to do work. Keep this principle in mind as you read pages 612–614 in the textbook.

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