Questions With Batteries

[Guest Punkamafunk]

Alright. I go to school at Brooklyn Teachnical High School and a project we have to do is come up with a type of battery. I have done research on Concentration Cells becasue the topic interests me and have come up with a idea for a battery. Instead of using Copper and Copper Sulfate, would it be possible to use Sodium Nitrate and Sodium. The way i think of it. The anode will give up one electron to which frees Na+ ions to increase the concentration of the solution and consequently frees one electron to the cathode per each freed ion. On the cathode side the electrons that have arrived from the anode react in the surface of the electrode with the solutions Na+ ion forming a Sodium deposit in its surface. Do you know if this will create a electrical current. It does not interest me if this could be used in real life i just would like to know if it would be possible for this to create some type of voltage. Or will this idea crash and burn under the merciless wrath of the Evil Mrs. Ottey. Thank you and have a good night.

 

If i have posted this in the wrong section could you please tell me where to post it and i will. I just need some tips. Technically i would think it would work but i aint no scientist so i wouldnt really know.

[Tetrahedrite]

This definitely will not work. The theory is almost correct.

Unfortunately, sodium is one of those annoying metals that tends to release hydrogen and explode when placed in contact with water! So instead of forming pure sodium you will form sodium hydroxide and hydrogen gas (theoretically). You are best to stick to the normal metals like Cu, Zn, Pb etc.

[Guest Punkamafunk]

yea i just remembered the high reactivity of sodium. Egh it was a good shot.

[Guest Punkamafunk]

What if you mix the sodium nitrate in a substance other than water. Would that solve the reactivity and still produce a electrical current?

[jdurg]

The problem is, sodium nitrate is an ionic solid so it will only dissolve in a polar liquid. Sodium will also react pretty readily with any polar liquid, so you're kind of screwed there.

[The Thing]

Yea, water is a polar solvent. You need to find a non-polar solvent that can somehow break the ionic bonds of sodium nitrate, or the Na+ ions will react violently with the polar molecules. However, non-polar solvents don't dissolve ions, so...

[budullewraagh]

"The problem is, sodium nitrate is an ionic solid so it will only dissolve in a polar liquid."

i would disagree, as it is soluble in glycerol for example, which isnt so polar at all.

 

also, is it soluble in pyridine?

[The Thing]

Sodium Nitrate is slightly soluble in alcohol. 1g of sodium nitrate is soluble in 1.1 mL of water, but very little sodium nitrate dissolves in alcohol. However, I do recognize my mistake as it is only polar-solvent-soluble, as it is soluble in glycerol. Yet it does dissolve better in water than in glycerol or alcohol.

[raivo]

However, non-polar solvents don't dissolve ions, so...

 

This may be true but there are also such solvents as DMF, DMSO, pyridine and many others that are polar some way but not very reactive with alkali metals. This property has everyday uses in lithium batteris. Sodium battery can probably be done also but it would be too dangerous to be practical.

[Guest Punkamafunk]

Thanks guys for the help. Really appreciate it.