How does electricity flow through the body?

[scilearner]

Hello everyone,

 

Ok so electricty must flow through ions in the body right, I have some questions about this.

From what I researched this is my understanding of it, please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

When electricity passes to your body, the positive ions migrate towards the negative charged area and gains electrons while negative ions migrate towards positively charged area and releases them. Now I have some questions about that.

 

1.Can't the positive ions gain electrons and completely neutralize the current?

2. If the positive ions move towards the negative side and balance the charges at both ends, wouldn't that neutralize the current, why do redox reactions occur to keep a current going?

3. Electricity is movement of electrons, here the ions are moving so can we really say the electricity is conducted in the ionic solution?

4. I also like to know when a hair fryer is placed on water (obviously not for real), how does water conduct the electricity, using my logic where do the negative ions release electrons, I mean what is their to gain them?

 

Thank you

Edited April 9, 2010 by scilearner

[the_seraphim]

you posted this exact question on "physics forums" how about either going and reading thier responses, or go and look into how electricity works

[zule]

I do not know where to start. It seems you have the whole concept of electricity in the body wrong.

 

I am going to supposse we are only talking about excitable cells as neurons.

 

Ok so electricty must flow through ions in the body

I would better say that electricity flows thank you to the movement of ions through the membrane of the cells.

 

 

 

From what I researched this is my understanding of it, please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

When electricity passes to your body, the positive ions migrate towards the negative charged area

Not always, it is an electrochemical gradient. It is not only the charge what counts, but also the amount of a certain ion inside or outside of the excitable cell: the chemical gradient.

 

 

 

and gains electrons

No, those ions does not gain electrons, they remain the same.

 

 

 

while negative ions migrate towards positively charged area and releases them.

No, it is the same I have said about positive ions.

 

 

 

 

 

1.Can't the positive ions gain electrons and completely neutralize the current?

As i said, they do not gain electrons.

 

 

 

2. If the positive ions move towards the negative side and balance the charges at both ends, wouldn't that neutralize the current,

We would get an electric potential of 0; but we could have ionic current because we do not have a chemical potential of 0.

 

 

why do redox reactions occur to keep a current going?

What redox reactions?

 

 

 

3. Electricity is movement of electrons

Not in this case. There is a movement of ions, not of electrons.

 

 

 

 

, here the ions are moving so can we really say the electricity is conducted in the ionic solution?

Well, I tsupposse we could.

 

 

 

 

4. I also like to know when a hair fryer is placed on water (obviously not for real), how does water conduct the electricity, using my logic where do the negative ions release electrons, I mean what is their to gain them?

There are ions in the water

Edited April 15, 2010 by zule
grammar