The lemon cell
A simple electrochemical cell made from zinc and copper electrodes pushed into a lemon, with the voltage between them measured on a multimeter.
The science behind this experiment
When a pair of metals, for example zinc and copper, are placed in a lemon, it is possible to measure a difference of voltage by means of a multimeter.
Equipment used
- Digital multimeter — ELE-001
- 1 × Connecting wire, red — ELE-005, ELE-006
- 1 × Connecting wire, black — ELE-007, ELE-008
- 2 × Crocodile clips — ELE-009
- 1 × Copper electrode — CHE-018
- 1 × Zinc electrode — CHE-017
- Lemon
Questions for students
- Record the voltage and give an explanation.
What to expect
The voltage of the cell is approximately 1.1 V. The theoretical principles are the same as those described in the experiment the Salt solution cell.
Run this experiment in your classroom
This experiment is part of ATP Volta — a self-contained mobile science lab that turns an ordinary classroom into a working STEM laboratory, with over 200 experiments in physics, chemistry, biology, robotics and engineering. Gali, the AI tutor built into ATP Connect, guides students through each step and answers their questions at the bench.
See the ATP Volta mobile science labTalk to our team