How to Make a Lemon Battery

In this instructable you will learn how to create a lemon battery. The lemons create about 4 and a half volts, enough to run something that uses low voltage. The lemons produce this voltage through the process of electrolysis which is the chemical reaction produced by passing an electric current through a liquid or solution containing ions. The juice of the lemon acts as the solution and the copper and steal create an electrical circuit allowing electrical current to flow through the solution. This current can be harnessed through copper wire which you can attach to whatever you are trying to give power. Good Luck!

Materials needed:

- 3 lemons

-4 galvanized nails

- 4 pennies

- 4 copper wires

Step 1: Before

Spread out your lemons on a flat surface (not needed, but makes it easier). Label your lemons 1, 2, and 3, then lay them out in order. This makes the following directions easier to follow.

Step 2: Lemon 1

Stick one of the nails into the left side of lemon number 1. Then on the opposite side of lemon number one put in a penny. You do this to create a circuit from the nail to the penny.

Step 3: Lemon 2

Stick two nails into the left side of lemon number 2. Then stick two pennies into the opposite sides of the nails in lemon number 2. You put two nails and 2 pennies in because they pass create more electrical current creating more voltage.

Step 4: Lemon 3

Stick a nail into the left side of lemon number 3. Then stick a penny into the opposite side of the nail in lemon number 3. This makes the circuit go through all the lemons once the copper wires are attached.

Step 5: Lemon 1 Wire

Attach of one the copper wires to the nail already in lemon number 1. If you have alligator clips just attach one end to the nail. If you have just copper wire you can wrap it around the nail. This wire will connect to whatever you are trying to power at the end of the project.

Step 6: Connecting Lemon 1 and Lemon 2

Attach one end of the copper wire to the penny already in lemon number 1. Then attach the other end of the copper wire to either of the nails. This creates a circuit between lemon number 1 and lemon number 2.

Step 7: Connecting Lemon 2 and Lemon 3

Attach one end of a copper wire to the penny across from the nail with the copper wire attached to already in lemon number 2. Then attach the other end of the copper wire to the nail already in lemon number 3. This creates a circuit between lemon number 2 and lemon number 3.

Step 8: Lemon 3 Wire

Attach one end the of the remaining copper wire to the penny already in lemon number 3. This allows the circuits power to be harnessed on both sides of the lemon so it can have a positive and negative side like a battery.

Step 9: Conclusion

By now you have created a lemon battery. You will now be able to run an object that requires low voltage. The copper wire attached the nail on lemon 1 is the negatively charged side. The copper wire attached to penny on lemon 3 is the positively charged side. To power the object you can clip the negatively charged wire to the negative side of battery socket, or to the negative side if it does no run on batteries, and you can clip the positively charged wire to the positive side of the battery socket, or the positive side if it does not run of batteries. Thank you!