Question

Will a battery with magnesium (Mg) as the anode and aluminum (Al) work to power a flashlight? Why or why not?

Answer 1

No, a battery with magnesium as the anode and aluminum will not work to power a flashlight because magnesium is more reactive than aluminum.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a battery, the anode is the negative terminal, and the cathode is the positive terminal. When a battery is connected to a circuit, a chemical reaction occurs at the anode and cathode, producing electrons that flow through the circuit, powering the device.

In the case of a battery with magnesium (Mg) as the anode and aluminum (Al), it would not work to power a flashlight. This is because magnesium is more reactive than aluminum. When a more reactive metal is used as the anode, it tends to react with the electrolyte and corrode quickly, depleting the battery's energy and causing it to lose power rapidly. Therefore, using magnesium as the anode in this battery would make it less effective in powering a flashlight.

Answer 2

Yes because magnesium has a more negative reduction potential than aluminum.

Step-by-step explanation:

The single factor that will determine whether a battery with magnesium as anode and aluminium as cathode will work or not is the respective electrode potentials of the two elements.

Recall that in a battery, oxidation occur at the anode and reduction occurs that the cathode. The reduction potential shows the ease with which a metal is reduced or oxidized. The substance with the most negative reduction potential will function as the anode while the substance with the less negative electrode potential will function as the anode.

The reduction potential of Magnesium is -2.37 V while that of aluminum is -1.66 V. This implies that magnesium must function as the anode and aluminum as the cathode in order to have a spontaneous electrochemical process in the cell.