From the Bagdad battery to a battery with a pencil sharpener and a pencil lead, passing through the Daniell battery and the Volta battery

Abstract

At the beginning of the 19th century, Alessandro Volta presented the first electrochemical cell; Since then, the knowledge of the reactions that generate electric current has not stopped progressing. This article presents the construction of various electrochemical cells using everyday materials. It begins by rebuilding a supposed electrochemical device, the Baghdad battery, dating from the second century BC, and continues with the construction of a portable Daniell battery, a Volta-type battery and a homemade battery using a pencil sharpener and pencil.