For the first experiment, the bottom of an aluminum can was removed, and the can was placed in a warm nitric acid solution to remove any plastic coatings. A copper wire was placed in a 600 mL beaker with the wire extending from the beaker. Next, a solution of 1 mL of 1 M sulfuric acid and 200 mL of 1 M copper II sulfate was poured into the 600 mL beaker. The aluminum can was wrapped in a sheet of bond paper, which was secured around the can with rubber bands. This wrapped can was placed bottom-down in the 600 mL beaker and 200 mL of a 0.1 M sodium hydroxide in 1 M potassium chloride solution was poured into the can. A voltmeter was used to record the voltage between the two electrodes and the constructed battery was used to power small a buzzer and motor. The voltage was measured before and after a 20-minute interval.
The first experiment involved the creation of a galvanic cell out of an aluminum can and scraps of copper wire, which was used as an energy source to power various small electronic devices. A galvanic cell is an electrochemical cell that is produced by a spontaneous redox reaction. In this case, the spontaneous reaction is between aluminum, the reducing agent, and copper, the oxidizing agent.