2019-2020

NAME:
CLASS: 12 A
TH

ROLL NO. : 12
BOARD ROLL NO. :

SCHOOL:
ST.XAVIER’S SR.SEC.
CHEMISTRY
BOARD
PROJECT
 Aim
Electro
plating
Certificate
Acknowledgement
Introduction
One of the most important
applications of electrolytic cells is
the process of electroplating, in
which a thin layer of a metal is
deposited on an electrically
conducting surface.

Electroplating has many commercial

applications including decorative
and protective coatings.
The purpose of this project is to get
familiar with electroplating process
and learn how it works, however
you can expand your study and also
determine the amount of electricity
used to plate certain mass of
copper. You may also calculate
atomic mass of copper.

In electroplating, the metal to be plated is used as the

anode and the electrolytic solution contains an ion
derived from that metal. In this experiment, a copper
anode (pre-1982 US penny) will be used in a solution
of copper sulfate. Copper will be plated out onto a
second penny at the cathode.
What is Electroplating?
Electroplating is one kind of surface finishing. There are many
other kinds. Everyone has seen and handled electroplated
objects, even if they didn't know it. Examples include kitchen
and bathroom faucets, inexpensive jewelry and the trim on
some automobiles. There are thousands of examples. In fact, it
is certain that nearly every piece of metal you have ever seen
has been through some kind of surface finishing process. There
are three basic reasons for surface finishing: to improve
appearance, to slow or prevent corrosion (rust) and to increase
strength and resistance to wear (in the case of "engineering"
finishes). An object may be processed for any or all of these
reasons.

The term electroplating means the coating of an object with a

thin layer of metal by use of electricity. The metals most often
used are gold, silver, chromium, copper, nickel, tin and zinc, but
many others are also used. The object to be plated is usually a
different metal, but can be the same metal or a non-metal, such
as a plastic grille for an automobile.

Electroplating usually takes place in a "tank" of solution

containing the metal to be deposited on an object. This metal is
in a dissolved form called ions. An ion is an atom that has lost
or gained one or more electrons and is thus electrically
charged. You cannot see ions, but the solution may show a
certain color; a nickel solution, for example, is typically emerald
green. The deposited metal, however, will be gray or silver in
appearance.

When certain metallic chemicals dissolve in water, the metal

atoms of these chemicals are freed to move about, but lose one
or more electrons (negative charges) and, as a result, are
positively charged. The object to be plated is negatively
charged and attracts the positive metal ions, which then coat
the object to be plated and regain the lost electrons to become
metal again.
A familiar example of this
process is the experiment often
performed in which a key is
plated with copper. The key
(called the cathode) is connected
to the negative terminal of a
battery and is placed in a
solution of vinegar, a weak acid.
The positive terminal of the
battery is connected to a piece of
copper (called the anode--and often just a copper wire), which
is placed in the solution. The acid slowly dissolves the wire,
making copper ions that are then attracted to the key, regaining
their lost electrons and becoming copper metal again, but now
in the form of a thin coating on the key. The battery forces all
this to happen and prevents the deposited copper from re-
dissolving.

Now look at the illustration. Positively charged copper ions are

free in the solution, but are being attracted by the negatively
charged key. As the ions contact the key, they regain their lost
electrons and become copper metal and stick to the key
wherever they touched it. This is the basic process of
electroplating, and all forms of it work the same way.

Other Common Finishing Processes

There is another plating process, discovered in 1946, called

electroless plating. It earned that name because it operates
without using electricity; the action is purely chemical and runs
by itself, once started.

Electrical and chemical processes are not the only ways to coat
an object. Another important process is called vapor deposition
or vacuum coating. In this process, the metal to be deposited is
converted into a vapor that is allowed to condense on the
object to be coated. Many beautiful finishes can be obtained by
this process, which is carried out in a vacuum chamber.

Another increasingly important surface finishing process is

powder coating. It depends on the fact that opposite charges
attract, just as in electroplating. The object to be coated is
electrically charged and is sprayed with a non-metallic powder
that sticks to it. The object is then passed through an oven
where the powder particles melt and run together to make a
smooth finish. Articles commonly coated in this way include
lawn mower frames, sports equipment, playground equipment,
lawn furniture and the insides of refrigerators, washing
machines and dryers.

Some metals including aluminum cannot be coated by

electroplating method. In order to protect aluminum from rust,
we usually anodize it. Anodizing process involves producing a
very thin, invisible layer of the oxide on the aluminum, which
protects it from the kinds of corrosion that affect aluminum,
such as salt air from the ocean. The oxide is a chemical
combination of aluminum and oxygen. Anodized aluminum can
be dyed to produce any desired color.
 Theory
Electroplating uses a small electric current to drive atoms of
one metal from one object onto the surface of another.
(An atom is the smallest amount of an element — the
basic building blocks of all matter. An atom is the smallest
amount of stuff you can have, and still be able to call it an
element.)
The process was discovered by physicist Michael
Faraday, who did most of his work dealing with the
connections between electricity and magnetism.
To "plate" one material onto another, you need to have a setup
like the top diagram. The anode is the metal you want to plate
onto the cathode. The electrolyte is a liquid that conducts
electricity and that will dissolve the anode. It will also contain
dissolved ions of the anode metal in it. (An ion is any atom, or
group of atoms, with an electrical
charge, either positive or negative.) The key to this process is
the battery. It supplies the energy needed for the atoms in
the anode to dissolve into the electrolyte, and eventually
"stick" to the cathode.
If you let enough electrical current pass through the
solution, you will get a layer of anode metal on the cathode,
with the anode dissolving into the electrolyte. The thickness
of the layer can be precisely controlled by varying the amount
of current that passes through the electrolyte.
 Anode
Metals Temperature Voltage Time
(+)
30
GOLD 140ºF 6V 24K gold
sec
20 -
14K or
RHODIUM 80 - 100ºF 4V 30
platinum
sec
30 +
COPPER 100ºF 6V copper
sec
3-4
NICKEL 70ºF 2V nickel
min
30 +
SILVER 70ºF 2V silver
sec

Copper Plating:
Electrodeposition of metals is performed by
immersing a conductive surface in a solution
containing ions of the metal to be deposited. The
surface is electrically connected to an external
power supply, and current is passed through the
surface into the solution. This causes reaction of
the metal ions with electrons to from metal.

As copper is plated out at the cathode (negative

electrode), copper goes into solution at the
anode (positive electrode) as copper (II) ions,
maintaining a constant concentration of copper
(II) ions in the electrolytic solution.
Commercial plating is done very slowly in order
to obtain a smooth, even coating of the plated
metal. Although this experiment does not
produce plating of commercial quality, it gives
you the opportunity to study the chemistry of an
important commercial process. This general
method is also used in purifying copper. A small
cathode of pure copper is used with a larger
anode of impure copper. As the electrolytic cell
operates, pure copper is transferred to the
cathode.

You should be introduced to Faraday's law before

doing this experiment. From this law, you will
note that 2 x 96,485 coulombs of charge are
required to produce one mole of copper from
copper (II) ion. If an ammeter reading is taken,
the number of coulombs that actually passed
through the electrolytic cell can be calculated by
using the formula; q = It, where q is the charge
in coulombs, I is the current in amperes, and t is
the time in seconds. From the coulombs of
charge that pass through the cell, you can
calculate the theoretical number of moles of
copper that should have plated out and compare
this to the actual number of moles that were
plated out. If one assumes that the theoretical
yield is equal to the actual yield, the atomic mass
of copper can be calculated.

Faraday’s constant = 96485 Coulombs/mole

Apparatus
Chemicals
1. Electrolyte solution (CuSO4· 5H2O +
concentrated H2SO4 solution in enough
distilled or deionized water)
2. Coin

Equipment
1. Power supply
2. Connecting wires with alligator clips
3. Copper wire
4. 250-mL beaker
 Chemical
Equations

As copper is plated out at the cathode (negative

electrode), copper goes into solution at the anode
(positive electrode) as copper (II) ions,
maintaining a constant concentration of copper
(II) ions in the electrolytic solution.

Cathode: Cu2+(aq) + 2 e- --) Cu(s)

Anode: Cu(s) --) Cu2+ (aq) + 2e-

Experiment design
1. Pour 200 mL of the electrolyte solution into the
beaker. Electrolyte solution is a strong solution of
copper sulphate plus a few drops of sulphuric acid
in order to keep the solution acidic.
2. Attach connecting wires with alligator clips to the
terminals of the power supply or a battery.
3. Clean the coin; rinse and dry.
4. Tightly wrap one end of a 10-cm length of copper
around coin.
5. Push the free end of each wire over the beaker so
that the coin "electrodes" are immersed in the
electrolyte solution as illustrated below. Note: the
two electrode assemblies must not touch.

6. Attach the connecting wires to the top of the

copper wire assemblies.
7. Allow the electroplating cell to operate for 30-60
minutes. Record the exact time the cell was
operating.
Result
Conclusion
Bibliography
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING
SOURCE:

https://www.scienceproject.com/proj
ects/detail/Senior/SC050.asp