Daddy and I did a little experiment today. First we put a Zinc Cathode and a Copper Anode in plain tap water. Since we had hooked it to a multimeter (or a voltmeter) the voltage in one minute was .845, and in two minute was .883.



Second we put our Zinc Cathode and Copper Anode in distilled water and in one minute the reading was .700, and in two minutes was .761 and in three minutes was .800.



Third we put our solids into saltwater from the basin and in one minute the reading was .886, in two minutes it read .880, and three minutes later .861.

Fourth we put our metals in white distilled vinegar, right away it jumped to 1.00 volt, in one minute it read 1.008, and three minutes was 1.010.




Fifth and off the boat, we placed our cathodes and anodes in Muriatic Acid. It boiled and smoked immediately and we stood back being extra careful not to breathe it. In 15 seconds the voltage was .574 and going down rapidly. In three minutes the Zinc Cathode was gone but the Copper Anode was still there. Why? A zinc Cathode is made to sacrifice itself to save the Copper Anode. We boaters use it to save our engine and metal parts on the boat from corroding.