How do you convert chemical energy to electrical energy?

Answer 1

There are a number of ways that this can be done, including both direct and indirect methods. The most common way is actually an indirect method. This is how the very large majority of electricity is produced in the world. It is done by burning a chemical fuel to produce heat. The most common fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas (although anything that can be burned would work too). The heat from the burning is then used to heat a liquid, such as water, which is turned to steam. The pressure from the steam then spins a turbine, and it is the spinning turbine which actually makes the electricity. This is also how nuclear energy is used to make electricity: not directly, but by using the heat of nuclear fission reactions to heat water to spin a turbine. It is the spinning turbine that makes electricity by spinning a magnet inside a coil of copper wire.

You can also make electricity directly from chemical fuels by using electrochemistry. Here, chemicals are oxidized and reduced and the electrons involved in that reaction are passed through an external circuit. This is how batteries work. To do this, you need to match up two chemicals properly: one that will be oxidized, and one that will be reduced. The one that is oxidized will give up it's electrons to the one that will be reduced, and those electrons being transfered create a current which can be used as electricity. If the chemicals are paired properly, this reaction will happen spontaneously, and electricity will be generated (if not paired correctly, then it will require electricity to drive the reaction).

The last way is in something called a photoelectrochemical cell, which is just a special kind of solar cell. Basically, it uses a combination of both chemical energy and also solar energy to drive a reaction that produces electricity (this is different from standard silicon-based solar cells that you might see on somebody's house, where no chemical reaction occurs).

Draw load current from a battery is another way to convert chemical energy to electrical energy.
There are several ways to do this including:

Combustion to heat steam that then runs through a turbine connected to a generator.

Electrochemical reactions - like you get in batteries

Fuel cells

dry cell batteries..
A battery for example. In a lead-acid cell it is the action between the acid and the lead plates

Answer 2

Chemical energy is converted to electrical energy in various ways. Placing electrodes in an electrolyte (batteries) is the most common and direct way.

Answer 3

-- charge a battery

-- plate your silver