Daniell Cell

Chemicals and Solutions

• 1M copper sulfate aq.
• 1M zinc sulfate aq.

Materials

• small hydrometer cylinder
• strips of copper and zinc
• Digital readout voltmeter
• piezo buzzer & switch
• test leads

Procedure

1. Fill a hydrometer cylinder half full with 1M Copper sulfate.
2. Place a copper strip into the cylinder such that it both reaches the bottom of the cylinder and protrudes out the top of the cylinder.
3. Using an eyedropper carefully layer 0.1M zinc sulfate onto the copper sulfate.
4. Place a short strip of zinc into the cylinder. The zinc strip should not extend into the highly concentrated copper sulfate solution.
5. Attach alligator clips to the zinc and copper electrodes and connect the cell to the voltmeter.
6. The cell can also be connected to a piezo buzzer and switch.