Grove cell

Groove cell (1897)

The Grove cell was an early electric primary cell named after its inventor, British chemist William Robert Grove, and consisted of a zinc anode in concentrated sulfuric acid and a platinum cathode in concentrated nitric acid, the two separated by a porous ceramic pot.

The Grove cell was the favored power source of the early American telegraph system in the period 1840 - 1860 because it offered a high current output and higher voltage of the earlier Daniell cell (at 1.9 volts and 1.1 volts, respectively).

However, by the time of the American Civil War, as telegraph traffic increased, the Grove cell's tendency to discharge poisonous nitric acid gas proved increasingly hazardous to health, and as telegraphs became more complex, the need for constant voltage became critical and the Grove device was limited in this respect because as the cell discharged, voltage reduced. Eventually, Grove cells were replaced in use by Daniell cells.

See also

• Bunsen cell
• History of the battery
• Primary cell terminology

Notes

• Stillman, Benjamin (1861). Principles of Physics. Theodore Bliss. pp. p. 576. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Ayrton, W.E. (1911). Practical Electricity. Cassell and Company. pp. pp. 183-185. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)