My understanding of batteries is that chemical reactions inside of them produce electrons than then flow through the electric circuit and to the positive post. What happens to those electrons when they reach the positive post?
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A chemical battery is made out of two different metal ions – one is called the anode, and one is called the cathode. The anode has extra electrons to lose, the cathode wants electrons. If you connect the two via a wire, electrons will flow from the anode to the cathode. Those electrons will have some energy that you can use to power your circuit.
When the electrons reach the cathode, they bond with the ions in the cathode, making them no longer ions. You’ll eventually reach a point where the anode has no more electrons to give – which makes the battery stop working. If it’s a rechargeable battery you can apply an external current to reverse the flow of the electrons… if it’s not, you just have to recycle the battery and get a new one.
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