Primary cell

A primary cell is a battery that is made to be used one time only. It cannot be recharged. Once all the power is used up, the battery must be thrown away. It no longer makes electricity. Primary cells are often used to give power to small appliances that are used in the home.

The advantages about this kind of disposable battery include:
 being cheaper (costs less money)
 being easier to make
 lasting longer before being used (shelf life) 
 high availability

The disadvantages about this kind of disposable battery are that:
 it is highly toxic and
 it releases too much waste when thrown away.

Examples
Alkaline battery
Leclanche battery
Lithium battery
Mercury battery
Silver oxide battery

Historic primary cells
The following primary cells are only of historical interest. The dry cell is now almost universal.

 Name  Positive plate  Negative plate  Electrolyte  Depolarizer  Voltage  Link Bunsen cell  Carbon  Zinc  Sulphuric acid  Nitric acid  1.9   Daniell cell  Copper  Zinc  Sulphuric acid  Copper sulphate  1.1   Grove cell  Platinum  Zinc Sulphuric acid  Nitric acid  1.9   Poggendorff cell  Carbon  Zinc  Sulphuric acid  Chromic acid  2.0  

Related pages
Secondary cell
Battery
Table of batteries
Voltaic pile

References

Category:Batteries