Electroplating. Fun chemistry experience at home

ENTERTAINING EXPERIENCES AT HOME
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Electroplating. Chemical experiments

Entertaining experiments in chemistry

Entertaining experiences at home / Chemistry experiments for children

After aluminum anodizing it will be natural to move on to the next electrochemical experiments, since there is an electrolytic bath, a current source, and a key with a rheostat at hand. In these experiments, we will extract the metal from the solution and apply it to the surface. This process is called electroplating, and coatings are called electroplating. By the way, aluminum anodizing also refers to electroplating.

First, we will learn how to apply copper to a steel surface. Copper plating is very common in industry, and not only as an independent process, but also (perhaps even more often) as a preparatory operation before coating with other, more durable and elegant films - chrome, nickel, silver. The reason is that copper, correctly deposited, adheres very strongly to steel and evens out roughness and defects in its surface, while other metals, in turn, are well deposited on the copper film. It would seem that everything is simple: I treated the steel part with a solution of copper sulfate, more active iron displaced copper from the solution, and it settled on the surface. Indeed, it will be so (you can check by lowering a clean nail into a solution of CuSO₄). But the copper layer on the surface is very loose - it is easy to wipe it off even with a rag. And with electrochemical processing, the copper layer is smooth and durable.

Here is a very simple copper plating method. Remove the insulation from one end of the soft stranded wire and rub thin copper wires to make a "brush". For convenience, tie it to a wooden stick or pencil, and connect the other end of the wire to the positive pole of a flashlight battery. Electrolyte - a concentrated solution of copper sulphate, preferably slightly acidified - pour into a wide bottle, into which it will be convenient to dip the "brush".

Prepare a steel plate or other small object, preferably with a flat surface. Wipe it with a fine emery cloth and degrease it by boiling it in a solution of washing soda. Put the plate in a bath or cuvette and connect it with a wire to the negative pole of the battery. The circuit is assembled, it remains only to introduce the electrolyte.

Dip the "brush" in the blue vitriol solution and run it along the plate, being careful not to touch the surface; work so that there is always a layer of electrolyte between the plate and the brush. Wiring must be moistened with the solution at all times. In front of the eyes, the plate will be covered with a red layer of metallic copper. It takes a few minutes to process a small part. If the surface is larger, then not only additional time will be required, but also an additional battery; connect it with the first one in parallel. When the coating has been applied, air dry the part and rub the matte copper layer to a shine with a woolen or cloth rag.

By the way, this experiment can be done with both aluminum and galvanized plates. Such a process, in which the part is not lowered into the electrolytic bath, but is processed outside in small areas, adding electrolyte all the time, is sometimes used in practice, especially in cases where the part is so large that you cannot find a suitable bath for it. For example, when you need to re-coat the skin of an ocean-going ship...

However, if the parts are small, they are usually still immersed in an electrolyte bath - this is faster and more convenient. This is how it is done when nickel plating steel, or, more precisely, before nickel plating, because in this case it is impossible to do without preliminary copper plating.

The metal object that you decide to cover with nickel (let it be a water tap or a door plate), process as usual with sandpaper to remove the oxide film, wipe with a brush, rinse thoroughly with water, degrease in a hot soda solution and rinse again . In a jar or glass, lower on wires (preferably copper) two copper plates - anodes. Between them, hang the item on a wire (we remind you that it is most convenient to wrap all these wires around a pencil and put it on the edges of the can). Those wires that come from copper plates, connect together and connect to the positive pole of the current source, and the part to the negative; include a 200-300 ohm rheostat or radio resistance in the circuit to regulate the current, and a milliammeter (tester). DC source - two or three flashlight batteries connected in parallel, or a battery with a voltage of not more than 6 V.

Electrolyte solution - 20 g of copper sulfate and 2-3 ml of sulfuric acid per 100 ml of water - pour into a glass, the solution should completely cover the electrodes. Using a rheostat or selecting resistances, set the current from 10 to 15 mA per square centimeter of the surface of the part. After about twenty minutes, turn off the current and remove the part - it is covered with a thin layer of copper. Do not pour out the copper plating electrolyte, it will still come in handy.

Next up is nickel plating. Prepare a new electrolyte (30 g nickel sulfate, 3,5 g nickel chloride and 3 g boric acid per 100 ml water) and pour this electrolyte into another beaker. Nickel plating requires nickel electrodes. Dip them in the electrolyte, assemble the circuit in the same way as with copper plating, and turn on the current, again for about twenty minutes. Remove the item, rinse and dry it. It is covered with a grayish matte layer of nickel. In order for the coating to acquire its usual shine, it must be polished.

Electrolyte for chromium plating usually contains chromic acid. But since you probably don't have this acid, let's resort to a workaround.

You have already received green chrome pigment. If you did not put that experience, then keep in mind that chrome green is sold in stores. Fuse chromium oxide with soda in air, i.e. heat the mixture in a clean metal can. You got sodium chromate Na₂CrO₄. Dissolve it in water, filter and acidify with sulfuric acid; chromium plating can be carried out in this solution. Of course, if you have sodium chromate ready, there is no need to cook it.

A small item that you are going to chrome, process as usual with sandpaper, degrease, pickle with a weak acid solution and rinse. It will be the cathode, connect it to the negative pole of the current source. The anode is inert, for example, graphite. Disassemble the old battery and remove the graphite rod from it.

To get enough current for chrome plating, you need to take a battery or several batteries for a flashlight. Choose the time of the experiment and the required current yourself. At the end of the electrolysis, remove the part from the electrolyte, rinse it thoroughly and polish it to a shine with a cloth with toothpowder.

Author: Olgin O.M.

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