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McDaniel

Electroplating
Electrochemistry deals with chemical reactions involving electrical energy. A system where chemical reactions produce electric current is called a voltaic cell. A battery is an everyday example of a voltaic cell. A system where an electric current produces chemical reactions is called an electrolytic cell. Electroplating, in which a metal is plated onto another object (e.g., chrome-plated trim or wheels on a car, chrome-plated bathroom fixtures, gold-plated or silver-plated jewelry) is an example of an electrolytic cell. n this activity will explore !inc will be plated onto a copper penny and"or copper from a penny will be plated onto a nic#el. SAFETY follow appropriate disposal techniques

wear eye protection as appropriate

Materials galvani!ed nail or !inc strip $ copper pennies (as bright and shiny as possible) % nic#els (as bright and shiny as possible) &.'( hydrochloric acid (&.'( )*l) &.+( copper sulfate solution ,, ,'& m- bea#er +&& m- graduated cylinder , +-inch brass fasteners +.' volt * battery or power source Part 1: Plating Zinc onto Copper (Instructions are intended for a three-person lab group ! +. /btain a cup and fill it half full of water. 0se the toothbrush and cleanser to thoroughly clean three pennies and then dip them in the cup of water to rinse. *lean, bright pennies plate will plate significantly better than dull ones. 1hen clean, rinse the pennies and dry them with a paper towel. 0se steel wool if necessary. 2end a paper clip as shown in 3igures +a, +b and +c. , alligator clip leads toothbrush powdered cleanser % paper clips .+ si!e (bare metal, not plastic-covered) foam double-stic# mounting tape, +", in wide appropriate eye protection paper towels

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"igure 1a %.

"igure 1b

"igure 1c

-ine up the three pennies, and place the long leg of the bent paper clip across them, as shown in 3igure ,a. ( f you want -incoln4s head plated, put the wire on the opposite side.) 0se a ,-inch length of tape to fasten the paper clip to the coins as shown in 3igure $b. 2e sure you press the tape tightly against the paper clip and coins, so the paper clip ma#es good contact with each coin (important for electrical purposes in the plating process), and the coins are securely held together as a 5gang5 of three coins that can be moved as a single unit.

"igure #a $.

"igure #b

0se one of the alligator clip leads to connect the negative end of the battery to the gang of pennies. 0se the other lead to connect the positive end of the battery to the pointed end of the !inc-coated nail (!inc strip or paper clip). 6lace the gang of pennies and the nail in the plastic cup, but be sure the pennies and the nail do not touch each other. 7ee 3igures ' and 8. f necessary, use pieces of mas#ing tape near the top of the cup to hold things in place. (easure +&& m- of &.'( 9n7/$ into a graduated cylinder. *arefully pour the 9n7/ $ into the bea#er until the pennies are completely covered, but $% &%' ())%* '+E ,%)-'I%& '% '%-C+ (&. P(/'%" '+E ())I0('%/ C)IP. :ormally you should be able to add the entire +&& m-, but use less if necessary to avoid immersing the alligator clip. 3igure % shows a close-up of the pennies and nail in the cup with the 9n7/$.

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Figure 3

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f the process is proceeding, you should see bubbles at each of the electrodes, and the penny should become coated with a silvery (or sometimes dull or dar# gray) coating. Allow the process to proceed until the penny seems thoroughly coated -- this should ta#e place within '-; minutes. =emove the gang of pennies from the acid solution, disconnect them from the alligator clip, and dip them in the cup of water to rinse. f they are dull or blac#, use the toothbrush and cleanser to polish them. f all has gone well, each person in the lab group should end up with a reasonably shiny !inc-plated penny (on one side>). ?on4t discard the 9n7/$ solution from 6art + yet, in case you want to use it again if time permits.

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%ption #: Plating Copper onto &ic1el Materials and procedure are essentially identical to Part 12 3ith the follo3ing e4ceptions and notes: @ obtain a new bea#er @ connect a copper penny to the positive end of the battery, in place of the galvani!ed nail"!inc strip used in /ption + (tape the penny to a paper clip -- don5t immerse the alligator clip6) @ connect a gang of three nic#els to the negative end of the battery, in place of the gang of copper pennies

used in /ption + -- again, don5t immerse the alligator clip6 @ use +&&m- of &.'( copper sulfate solution *hat5s 0oing %n "igure 7 3igure $ is a diagram of the process you have used to plate !inc onto copper. Ahe battery ta#es electrons from the !inc coating of the galvani!ed nail, and moves them to the copper penny. As the !inc atoms lose electrons, they become positively charged !inc ions, and move into the solution. (eanwhile, at the copper penny, the extra electrons combine with the !inc ions in solution, forming !inc metal atoms which plate out on the penny. Every time a metal ion plates out at the cathode, another metal ion goes into solution at the anode.

3igure $

Ahe salt solution has metal ions ((BB) and nonmetal (A--) ions. Ahe battery has negative and positive electrodes. (BB ions are attracted to the negative electrode. Ahey jump onto the electrode to form a metal coating. A -- ions are attracted to the positive terminal. Ahey attac# the electrode C metal from it goes into solution. :ow for some electrochemical vocabulary> Ahe entire plating system is called an electrolytic cell2 in which electric current from a po3er source (e.g., the battery) causes chemical reactions. Ahe electrode where electrons are lost (e.g., the nail, where the !inc atoms lose electrons and become positive !inc ions) is called the anode. Ahe electrode where electrons are gained (e.g., the copper penny, where positive !inc ions gain two electrons to become !inc atoms plating on the copper), is called the cathode. Ahe liDuid conducting solution, where charged ions can move, is called the electrolyte.

8uestions and Conclusions +. 1rite the half-reaction that occurs at the anode of the electrolytic cell. dentify the reaction as either oxidation or reduction.

,. 1rite the half-reaction that occurs at the cathode of the electrolytic cell. dentify the reaction as either oxidation or reduction.

%. 1rite a descriptive paragraph or two that explains both the flow of !inc (or copper) ions and electrons through the system

www.exo.net"Edonr"activities"Electroplating.pdf ,pecial &ote for Part 1 n the usual plating process, ions of the metal to be plated are already in the electrolyte, as was the case in 6art ,, where the electrolyte contained *u,B ions and 7/$ ,- ions. Ahe more conventional approach to the plating of !inc on copper would be to use an electrolyte consisting of a !inc salt, such as !inc sulfate, dissolved in water, with a touch of sulfuric acid to improve the conductivity. 2ut !inc sulfate is not commonly found in drug stores, hardware stores, garden stores, etc., and sulfuric acid is perhaps even more wic#ed than hydrochloric acid to wor# with, and is also harder to obtain, since hydrochloric acid, under the common name of muriatic acid, is commonly used in swimming pools and for cleaning bric#s and cement, and is readily available in pool supply stores and hardware stores. Ahe vigorous bubbling at the nail is due to the chemical reaction ta#ing place between the !inc and the )*l, in which hydrogen gas is liberated, and !inc and chloride ions go into solution. 9n B ,)*l ---F 9n,B B ,*l- B ), t should be noted that this is not an electrochemical reaction. t is essentially a preliminary step to put !inc ions in the electrolyte. &otes and Comments @ to ma#e + liter of &.'( )*l solution, mix '& m- of %+G muriatic acid (from a hardware store) with H'& mwater -- the %+G muriatic acid is appro4imately +&(, so the solution you are ma#ing is appro4imately &.'( -amounts can be scaled up or down, depending on how much solution is needed, as long as the ,&-+ dilution factor is maintained -- be sure to wear eye protection, and add acid to water, &%' water to acid @ to ma#e the &.+( copper sulfate solution, mix ,' grams of copper sulfate pentahydrate, *u7/$ '),/, in enough water to ma#e + liter of solution -- the copper sulfate will li#ely be in the form of crystals -- you can speed up the dissolving process by using warm water and"or grinding the crystals in a mortar and pestle before dissolving -- be sure this is a mortar and pestle used only for chemicals -- do :/A use one that will be used for food> -- amounts can be scaled up or down, depending on how much solution is needed, as long as the proportions are maintained, e.g., ' grams of copper sulfate in enough water to ma#e ,&& m- of solution, etc.

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