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Q&A for How to Create a Battery from a Lemon

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Question

What's your advice for students attempting the lemon battery experiment?

Jessie Antonellis-John
Math and Science Instructor
Jessie Antonellis-John is a Math and Science Instructor who teaches at Southwestern Oregon Community College. With over 10 years of experience, she specializes in curriculum development. Jessie earned her PhD in Teaching & Teacher Education from the University of Arizona, her Master of Education from Western Governors University, and her BS in Astrophysics from Mount Holyoke College. She’s also co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles in professional publications.

Jessie Antonellis-John

Math and Science Instructor

Expert Answer

I'd say let the students play around with it first without too many step-by-step instructions. While some background on electricity flow is helpful, it's also great to just let them explore on their own. This not only gets them to better understand the process, but also builds curiosity and deeper learning. Encourage them to not just blindly follow directions, but to dig into the science behind why it works. Guide them but also foster that genuine curiosity to figure out the principles behind making a battery from lemons. Hands-on exploration is key for science experiments like this.

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Question

Will this work with oranges?

Community Answer

Yes, as they also contain citric acid.

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Question

Can I use one lemon to make a lemon battery?

Community Answer

Yes, but you will have to follow the steps in the pictures and words as long as the circuit is complete.

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Question

Can I use an LED bulb instead of a voltmeter?

Quinn Cook

Community Answer

Yes, it will still be powered if you have multiple lemons. An LED uses approximately 4V.

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Question

What is in the lemon that makes it possible to make electricity?

Community Answer

Citric acid. It's not the lemon, but the difference between zinc and copper that 'makes' the electricity.

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Question

Where do I get galvanized nails?

Community Answer

Try going to a hardware store.

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Question

Can this battery last forever?

Community Answer

No, it cannot. Like normal batteries, it will eventually stop working, though much sooner than a normal battery would.

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Question

Where could I get a voltmeter?

Community Answer

You can get a voltmeter at Radio Shack, Home Depot, Lowe's, or really any electrical or hardware store.

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Question

Where will I get a copper and a zinc coin from?

Community Answer

Any U.S. penny before 1982 is about 95% copper. For zinc, any US penny from 1982 on to most recent pennies are zinc based. You must sand down the newer pennies to get to the zinc core. Look on eBay and such places for the coins.

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Question

Will the lemon battery charge my iPhone?

Community Answer

No, lemon batteries are not only unwieldy but give only low levels of power, and in most cases can barely light a small lightbulb. Theoretically, it would take hundreds of hours to charge your iPhone on a lemon battery.

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Question

What will happen if you don't have a voltmeter?

Community Answer

You wouldn't be able to read the volts flowing within the circuit and be positive as to whether it is working. However, it does not affect the energy reaching the appliance you're powering. A voltmeter is not an essential part for the circuit to work.

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Question

What is a voltmeter?

Community Answer

A voltmeter is a device that measures the amount of electricity that is flowing.

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Question

If you stick a house light bulb to it, will it light it? How many lemons would it take?

Community Answer

No, it won't light a house light bulb. It would probably take at least 10 lemon batteries to light it.

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Question

Can I use two lemons and two oranges since oranges have acid in them?

Community Answer

Yes, you would just get less energy than you would with 4 lemons. Use the same steps as a multicell lemon battery, and you should get proper results.

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Question

Do I take the battery out of the voltmeter when making a battery from a lemon?

Community Answer

Nope, if you do that, the voltmeter won't work, thus you won't get a reading for how much power you're producing.

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Question

Can I use a regular nail?

Community Answer

Yes, you may use a regular nail.

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Question

Can I use broccoli for this experiment?

Community Answer

No, it does not have the same acidic solution that is in the the citrus fruits.

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Question

Can we use any other metal instead of zinc and copper?

Community Answer

You can if you have metals that can work as zinc and copper, because some metals do not react easily like copper and zinc.

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Question

Will Canadian nickels and quarters work for this?

Community Answer

Yes, because the material is mostly steel and copper, so they can conduct electric current. However, you don"t actually need a nickel or a quarter for the battery, any piece of copper or another metal that can conduct energy is usable.

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Question

Can we use water instead of a lemon?

Community Answer

No. Water don't have a acid in it, is a liquid, not a solid.

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Question

Can I power a small motor with this and power a simple circuit?

Community Answer

It is possible; however, depending on the motor's needs, you will probably need more lemons.

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Question

Where do I put the volt measure on a voltmeter?

Community Answer

Depending on how many lemons you use, anywhere between 2 v to 20 v. But normally you just put it at 2 v.

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Question

Will the battery work if I squeeze the juice into the container before inserting the galvanized nail and copper?

Community Answer

I doubt it, because you would be squeezing out the citric acid. If you don't have enough citric acid, you can't light an LED or a bulb. If you can't do any of that, your battery won't work.

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Question

What kind of volt meter do I need to create a battery from a lemon?

Community Answer

The voltmeter does not necessarily help you create the lemon battery, you will use it to read the volts flowing within the circuit and be able to tell whether the battery is working. Any kind of voltmeter will do.

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Question

Can I replace the galvanized nails with aluminium foil?

Cool Science for nerds

Community Answer

Yes, however aluminum tends to form an aluminum trioxide coating that may slow down the process. To avoid this, sand the aluminum foil before usage. Magnesium, iron, and other reactive metallic elements make electricity also. Silver, tin, lead, gold, palladium, and bismuth can be substituted for the copper. Feel free to experiment with these other metals.

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Question

Could a lemon make multiple volts?

Community Answer

No, it can barely light a 4v light bulb, which can only happen if multiple lemons are used.

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Question

Can use penny and dime with it?

Toniqueka Stewart

Community Answer

You need to use a penny not a dime because the dime is not copper and you need copper.

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Question

Can this work with a lime?

Community Answer

Yes, as long as it is a citrus fruit like a lemon or lime, it will work.

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Question

Can I use lime to make the lemon battery?

Community Answer

Yes, since the main component needed is citric acid, any citrus will work, including limes.

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Question

Can I use a copper nail instead of a copper penny?

Community Answer

No, because you need both of them. The wires need to connect with the nail and the penny so it can make a battery.

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