edited by GEORGEL. GILBERT Denisan University Granville. Ohio 43023
An Easily Constructed Secondary Battery SusMrrrEo BY Steven K. Gill Liquid Light Laboratories 2000 Center St., Suite 1172 Berkeley, CA 94704
S U B M BY I~D
Shukichi Yamana' Facuny of General Education
Kinki University. Kowakae Higashi Osaka 577, Japan Mitsuhiro Murakaml Nara University of Education Nara 630. Japan
CHECKED BY
Luther K. Brice Virginia Polytechnic institute and State University Biacksburg. VA 24061
CHECKED BY
Tetrakis1dimethvlamino)ethvlene (TKDE) is a stronalv nucleophili'c reagent of interest both for its chemical prop&ties and its oxvluminescence. When exvosed to moist air TKDE gives ofia vivid blue-green lumin&cence ( I ) . Ten milliliters of TKDE (Aldrich or Fairfield Chem. Co.) is placed in a 100-ml bottle, and air is excluded with inert gas (remember to flush the reagent bottle thoroughly). Then, 4 4 g of lithium chloride is added. When the teacher is ready for the demonstration, the bottle is opened, air is admitted for a few seconds, and the bottle is capped and shaken well. Luminescence results, emission maximum a t 515 nm (2). (One can easily demonstrate the catalytic effect of water by using air through a dwing tube for one bottle and comparing the effects ofone's b;e& the moist air produces much brighter emission.) The mechanism is fairly simple a t first approximation. TKDE reacts with oxygen to form a dioxetane which then disproportionates into tetramethylurea (TMU) and excited tetramethylurea (TMU*). The latter undergoes energy transfer to unoxidized TKDE. ~
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Luther K. Brice Virginia Polytechnic institute and State University Biacksburg. VA 24061
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A seconday battery can be made by utilizing some household articles. The arrangement is shown in the figures.
Set up fa baltefy. a, iron nail: b, aqueous solutim ot NaCI: c. cabm md: d. PVC wire: e, hand operating generator: f, handle: and g, midget lamp.
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T h e catalytic effect of hvdroxide or alkoxide anions imnliea a numberif intermediate steps which have heen well studied (3).Lithium chloride (as well as a number of other inorganic salts)reduces the quenching effect produced by accumulkion of TMU and other reaction byproducts (4). Other N-alkyl derivatives of tetraaminoethylene have been evaluated (51, as well as a number of methods of maximizing the output of TKDE for emergency lighting applications (6). TKDE has also been used as a sensitive reagent for the detection of oxygen (7). ~
Literature Cited (1) "The CLafTKDE,'. J. Arnsr. Chem. Soc., 81,2054 (1965) (2) 2.Noturlomch. 19b. 5 (1964). (3) NTlS Publication #AD 766704 (1973). (4) U.S. Patents #3,769,227 (1973): #3,728.270 (1973). ( 5 ) US. Patent #3,616.593 (1971)andref. (3). (6) U.S.Patents #3,729,425 (1973); #3,679,594 (1972). (7) Anal. Cham.,53,98 (1981).
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Preparation An iron nail and a carbon rod are immersed separately in an aqueous solution of sodium chloride having the concentration of -10-20%. Next, the nail and rod are connected to a hand-operated generator by two PVC wires.
Demonstration The handle of the hand-held generator is rotated (-100 rotations) to give the plus voltage to the carbon rod. Immediately after this procedure, the generator is replaced by a midget lamp which will light. NOTE 1) If available, a drop of phenolphthalein should be added to the salt water to show the formation of OH- ion at the negative elec2)
trode. The hand operating generator can be replaced by a power supply (1.5V, 100 mA for -1.0 min).
' Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Volume 61 Number 8 August 1984
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