Connecting Theory to Life: Learning Greener Electrochemistry by Taking Apart a Common Battery

• Clarissa Keen ^[1] ; Steven Couture ^[1] ; Nayer Abd El Meseh ^[1] ; Hannah Sevian ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Massachusetts Boston

     University of Massachusetts Boston

     City of Boston, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 97, Nº 4, 2020, págs. 934-942
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Electrochemistry is omnipresent in our lives, but students often do not recognize that the electrochemistry they learn in general chemistry happens in the batteries on which we depend. Students also may not recognize that they have the power to make greener choices about batteries using their knowledge of chemistry. This 4 h general chemistry laboratory activity challenges students to take apart a common battery, figure out how it works, map it to what they have learned about electrochemical cells in a general chemistry course, and then design and test an improvement on the battery they took apart. Learning outcomes include electrochemical cell functionality, principles of green chemistry, and decision making based on benefits–costs–risks analysis in chemistry. Students in 16 lab sections were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups, which conducted this green context-based experiment and a traditional electrochemistry experiment, respectively. Students in the treatment group demonstrated positive outcomes on measures of the personal relevance of electrochemistry, understanding how an electrochemical cell works, and increased interest in the lab. Students in the treatment group also outperformed those in the control group on applying the Nernst equation and benefits–costs–risks reasoning on the environmental impact of batteries.