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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2002  > March  >
In the Classroom
The Lead-Acid Battery: Its Voltage in Theory and in Practice
Richard S. Treptow
Department of Chemistry and Physics, Chicago State University, Chicago, IL 60628-1598
Cover
March 2002
Vol. 79 No. 3
p. 334
Abstract
The common 12-volt lead-acid battery used in automobiles consists of six electrochemical cells connected in series. The voltage produced by each cell while discharging or required for its recharging is a matter of practical importance. The Nernst equation can be used to calculate the cell voltage as a function of the electrolyte concentration. Two theoretical models are developed for this purpose using thermodynamic data from the literature. The voltages thus calculated are open-circuit voltages for a cell at thermodynamic equilibrium. They differ from the voltages of an actual cell through which a current is flowing. A flowing current produces overvoltages and ohmic polarization, which decrease the voltage the cell delivers when discharging and increase the voltage required for its recharging.
More Information
*  Citation
 Treptow, Richard S. J. Chem. Educ. 2002 79 334.
*  Keywords
 Electrochemistry; General Chemistry; Physical Chemistry; Redox Reactions; Thermodynamics
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 January 31, 2002
March 16, 2005
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