Gru
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Best brands of alkaline battery for MnO2
Do some yield more than others, maybe certain kinds are easier to open and/or work with?
Any recommendations before I go shopping?
Thanks
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Sulaiman
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For MnO2 I would buy a 6V zinc-carbon lantern battery, inside are four easily separable cells,
each cell has lots of MnO2 (mixed with carbon powder), a usable carbon rod, and a pure zinc pot/shell/case.(the solder joint is not pure
zinc)
The MnO2/carbon powder/electrolyte mixture needs washing to remove the electrolyte,
the carbon is difficult to separate from the MnO2 but for most purposes the carbon is an acceptable impurity.
P.S. if you only disassemble two of the four cells you will have two remaining cells that you can use as
a 3V battery, which is sufficient for most electrolysis experiments.
(so consider keeping two cells with wiring in place during disassembly)
(3 cells = 4.5V is sufficient for almost any anode/electrolyte/cathode combination, and 6V makes things go much faster)
P.P.S. work on a large area away from anything that could be stained when disassembling the cells.
they come apart easily with no significant chemical hazards, but they ( I ) can make quite a mess.
[Edited on 9-7-2019 by Sulaiman]
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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NZniceguy
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You can get MnO2 from most pottery supply places. Wouldnt that be more pure and easier? Although it is good that you can get carbon rods and zinc also
from the lantern batteries.
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RogueRose
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I'd suggest the pottery store as well, it's a MAJOR PITA to break up the solid chunks of MnO2 and that stuff stains all kinds of stuff.
If you want the easiest to work with, the largest battery size is the 6v lantern battery. IIRC, EverReady has 4 size F's which are basically D's that
are 2x as tall, so cutting them is easier. I think Energizer might also use these.
IDK where you live but you might be able to go to a hardware store like ACE or TruValue and ask them if they have any old alkaline batteries for
recycling. Lots of places will give these to you (as well as li-ion, Ni-cd, Ni-Mh, etc), maybe let you pick through them. If they ask what you are
using them for, be honest tell them the Manganese in them for your pottery work.
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Sulaiman
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I doubt that you will find much MnO2 in a used/depleted cell as it is the depolariser
(i.e. it is one half of the 'fuel' for a cell)
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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Simoski
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A ceramic supply store is a better choice that's for sure
[Edited on 9-7-2019 by Simoski]
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