Electroplating Research Paper

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ELECTROPLATING

Introduction:
Electroplating is the process of coating a metal object with another metal, using electrical current passed through a chemical solution. This process produces a thin, metallic coating on the surface of the metal object. The main purposes of electroplating are to improve the appearance of the material and provide protection against corrosion. This is done by hanging pieces of metal to be replenished in the solution. These metals are called anodes and the positive electrical lead is attached to these metals. They dissolve in the solution as metal is taken away by plating. At this point we have metal being removed from the anode and deposited on the cathode. Cathodes are the parts being plated. The anode and …show more content…

There is competition between the copper ions and the hydrogen ions. As the hydrogen ion or hydrogen redox equilibrium appears higher in the electrochemical series than the copper ion or copper equilibrium, the copper ions are preferentially reduced and copper metal is deposited at the electrode. A brown layer deposited at the cathode is observed.

After the electrolytic cell is switched off, the copper cathode are taken out and weighed. There is significant change in the mass of the cathode before and after the reaction. The mass increased by 0.16g. This increase and the brown colour shows that there is copper metal deposited at the cathode.

At the anode
In this case, the electrode is made of copper and it is easier for the copper to dissolve leaving its electrons behind on the anode than for any other ion to be released

After the electrolytic cell is switched off, the copper anode is taken out and weighed. There is significant change in the mass of the anode before and after the reaction. The mass decreased by 0.21g. This shows that there is copper metal loss at the anode as it has been oxidized to form copper(II) ions. The ions released are now motile in the copper(II) sulphate solution.
In short, copper is deposited at the cathode and is dissolved at the

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