[ARC5] Batteries That Do Not Corrode?

[John Watkins]

I used to use Duracells until about 5 or 6 years ago when I found that they
were not reliable.  Mainly corrosion problems.  Tried contacting them about
replacing a battery pack for a PRC-127.  Found that Proctor and Gamble had
bought them out.  They had about a 21 page legal notice in 1/2 font to read
about what you had to do to get to talk to someone.  Gave up on that.  I
haven’t bought a Duracell since.  I did just get 2 of their new AA cells in
a child’s toy (for Grand Daughter) and they seem to be good batteries, but
early days on using them.  I now pull batteries when I am done using the
radio, telescope, toy, Etc.  I have found that Kirkland (COSCO) batteries
are good, as are Energizer batteries, no problems with them yet.

John WD5ENU

On Sat, Jun 9, 2018 at 10:28 PM Tom Lee <tomlee at ee.stanford.edu> wrote:

> The notion of a "depolarizer" has a curious history. Manganese dioxide is
> a strong oxidizing agent and was originally added to the electrolyte in
> carbon-zinc batteries to scavenge the hydrogen liberated during normal
> operation. Hydrogen increases the cell resistance, so getting rid of it is
> important. Until it is removed, the cell will have less available energy,
> explaining why, after a heavy discharge, a carbon-zinc cell takes time to
> recover. This recovery time would be much longer were it not for manganese
> dioxide. It took an embarrassing number of years to realize that any
> chemical strong enough to oxidize hydrogen was itself acting as the
> cathode. The carbon rod is actually just a conductive terminal; it does not
> participate in the energy-releasing reactions. I fully expect Madison
> Avenue someday to relabel these old batteries as "manganese-chloride" cells
> to induce consumers to buy them.
>
> Adding mercury to carbon-zinc batteries was occasioned mainly by a desire
> to reduce the rate of dissolution of the zinc can. I don't know what
> substitutes are now being used to provide corrosion resistance in mercury's
> stead.
>
> --Tom
>
> --
> Prof. Thomas H. Lee
> Allen Bldg., CIS-205
> 420 Via Palou Mall
> Stanford University
> Stanford, CA 94305-4070http://www-smirc.stanford.edu
> 650-725-3383 (public fax; no confidential information, please)
>
> On 6/9/2018 7:38 PM, Brooke Clarke wrote:
>
> Hi Wayne:
>
> Not quite.  Modern batteries, like Ever Ready/Energizer, are much better
> than prior designs.
> In 1991 the EU banned Mercury in products.  This immediately showed up as
> a ban of Mercury batteries ( all the military batteries with model numbers
> of BA-1000 to BA-1999) plus civilian Mercury batteries.
> http://www.prc68.com/I/TS183.shtml#Hg
> But . . . Mercury was also used on the carbon rod of the Carbon-Zonc
> battery as a depolarizer and it took a lot of work to replace that.
> Modern batteries have much lower internal resistance, i.e. they can supply
> much higher currents (Flash Amps) than the older chemistries.
> http://www.prc68.com/I/No6.shtml#FA
>
> There's a YouTube video showing that if you connect a series string of AA
> cells (maybe 10 of them?) and put that in parallel with a dead car battery
> for a few minutes, you can start the car.
>
> --
> Have Fun,
>
> Brooke Clarkehttp://www.PRC68.comhttp://www.end2partygovernment.com/2012Issues.html
>
> -------- Original Message --------
>
> What's old is made to seem new. Yet again.
>
> Wayne
> WB4OGM
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Cromwell <wrcromwell at gmail.com> <wrcromwell at gmail.com>
> To: arc5 <arc5 at mailman.qth.net> <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Sat, Jun 9, 2018 6:39 pm
> Subject: Re: [ARC5] Batteries That Do Not Corrode?
>
> Thanks,
>
> So it's all hype and slight of hand from Madison Avenue.
>
> 73,
>
> Bill KU8H
>
> On 06/09/2018 08:00 PM, Tom Lee wrote:
> > Yes, that's correct. Ammonium chloride ("sal ammoniac" in oldspeak) is
> > the electrolyte in carbon-zinc batteries.
>
>
>
>
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