The key difference between Daniel cell and leclanche cell is that the Daniel cell contains a zinc rod and copper vessel as electrodes, whereas the Leclanche cell contains carbon with manganese dioxide and zinc as electrodes.
Daniel cell and Leclanche cell are two important electrolytic cells. These two cells are involved in carrying out chemical reactions to produce electricity.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Daniel Cell
3. What is Leclanche Cell
4. Daniel Cell vs Leclanche Cell in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Daniel Cell vs Leclanche Cell
What is a Daniel Cell?
A Daniel cell is an example of a galvanic cell that can convert chemical energy into electrical energy. This cell contains electrodes made of metals that are different from each other. Generally, these are made of zinc and copper. Each of these electrodes is in contact with its own solution, e.g. zinc sulfate and copper sulfate. This cell is typically designed to make use of the spontaneous redox reaction between zinc and cupric ions to produce an electric current.
Moreover, this cell contains a copper vessel that has saturated copper sulfate solution acting as a depolarizer and dilute sulfuric acid acting as an electrolyte. There is an amalgamated zinc rod that is immersed in a zinc sulfate solution. The copper vessel has a transparent layer all around the upper sulfate (just below the surface), and the copper sulfate crystals keep in contact with the copper sulfate solution because this solution remains saturated at all times.
In this cell, the electrons tend to flow from the zinc electrode to the copper electrode. This electron flow occurs through an external circuit. Here, ½ of the metal ions pass through the salt bridge. Moreover, the Daniel cell is reversible, while the voltaic cell can be either reversible or irreversible.
What is Leclanche Cell?
Leclanche cell is a battery invented and patented by a French scientist named Georges Leclanche in 1866. Leclanche cell has a conducting solution named the electrolyte or ammonium chloride, a carbon cathode, and a manganese dioxide depolarizer. It also requires an anode of zinc. Here, manganese dioxide acts as the oxidizer, and zinc is the reductant.
In the past, Leclanche cells used a porous pot, which gave it a relatively high internal resistance, and various modifications reduced it. These modifications include agglomerated block cells and sack cells. In the porous pot cell, the depolarizer was crushed manganese dioxide packed into a pot, and a carbon rod was inserted to act as the cathode. The anode is a zinc rod. The zinc rod is immersed along with the pot in a solution of ammonium chloride. This liquid solution acts as the electrolyte, and it permeates through the porous pot in order to make contact with the cathode. In the agglomerated clock cell, there was a pair of agglomerate blocks that replaced the porous pot. It was attached to the carbon plate via rubber bands. The composition of these blocks can be given as a mixture of manganese dioxide and bonding agents. In the sack cell, the porous pot was replaced with a wrapping of canvas or sacking. Additionally, it had a zinc cylinder replacing the zinc rod. This gave it a large surface area.
The two redox reactions that are taking place in a Leclanche cell are as follows:
Anode: oxidation of Zn
Zn → Zn + 2e
Cathode: Reduction of Manganese
2MnO2 + 2NH4+ + 2e– → 2MnO(OH) + 2NH3
What is the Difference Between Daniel Cell and Leclanche Cell?
Daniel cell and Leclanche cell are two important electrochemical cells. The key difference between Daniel cell and Leclanche cell is that the Daniel cell contains a zinc rod and copper vessel as electrodes, whereas the Leclanche cell contains carbon with manganese dioxide and zinc as electrodes.
The below infographic presents the differences between Daniel cell and Leclanche cell in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Daniel Cell vs Leclanche Cell
A Daniel cell is an example of a galvanic cell that can convert chemical energy into electrical energy, while the Leclanche cell is a battery invented and patented by a French scientist named Georges Leclanche in 1866. The key difference between Daniel cell and the Leclanche cell is that the Daniel cell contains a zinc rod and copper vessel as electrodes, whereas the Leclanche cell contains carbon with manganese dioxide and zinc as electrodes.
Reference:
1. “Daniell cell – definition, construction & working with cell reactions“. BYJUS. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
Image Courtesy:
1. “NMAH-Daniell cell batteries 1836” By NMAH_DC_-_IMG_8837.JPG: Daderotderivative work: Wdwd (talk) – NMAH_DC_-_IMG_8837.JPG (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Leclanche cell” By Unknown author – Cyclopedia of Telephony and Telegraphy (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia