A zinc-carbon battery has a zinc container as the negative terminal and a carbon rod as the positive terminal. It creates an electric current when connected to a device and is commonly used in small electronics. It is disposable and not rechargeable, but its environmental impact has been reduced since the ban of mercury in batteries.
A battery gets its name based on the chemical components that react to create an electric current. A zinc-carbon battery uses a zinc container to both house the chemicals and to serve as the negative terminal in the electrical circuit. The carbon rod inside the battery acts as a positive terminal and collects the electrons. These batteries are commonly used in small electronic devices and were the first commercially available dry cell batteries.
When a battery is connected to a device, chemicals inside the battery react to create an electric current to charge the device. A zinc-carbon battery has two oppositely charged ends labeled positive and negative. The electrons accumulate on the negative end and then travel to the positive end. This creates an electric current in the opposite direction. Electric current flows through the negatively charged terminal into the device to charge it.
In the zinc-carbon battery, the zinc container is the negative terminal through which the electric current flows into the device. The positive terminal is a mixture of chemicals, usually a mixture of manganese dioxide powder, carbon, and an electrolyte. A carbon electrode rod is also placed inside the center of the battery, connecting the two metal-coated ends of opposite charges and serving as a positive terminal. This rod is the medium by which electrons travel. This battery structure makes it capable of operating in all positions, making it ideal for use in portable electronic devices.
Carbon-zinc batteries were the first commercially available dry cell batteries and are mainly used in small portable electronic devices that require low to moderate power level, such as flashlights and cameras. They are available in both cylindrical and flat cell shapes. The flat cell shape allows for a higher available voltage due to its ability to stack on top of each other and augment the electronic circuit.
A carbon-zinc battery is not rechargeable, but it is disposable and cheap. Thousands of zinc-carbon batteries are disposed of every year, sometimes incorrectly. Mercury was originally added to reduce the corrosion rate within the carbon-zinc battery. In 1996, the United States banned the use of mercury in batteries, thereby significantly reducing the environmental impact of discarded carbon-zinc batteries.
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