Letter 7043

Electroplating for high school students 

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just a simple question on electroplating from a high school chem TA. i know that a simple electrolytic cell can be set up using a battery and a strip of copper and iron placed in solution. i wonder if i would be able to do this on a larger scale using, say, a car battery and plating a 12x16 sheet of iron.? perhaps you could give me some more details so i could show the kids. it is hard for them to see it on a small scale. thanks

kevin r. mock
- lynchburg,Va. USA

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Actually, you don't know exactly that, Mr. Mock. Because what will happen is the copper will plate onto the steel sheet without any application of electricity, so a really perceptive kid might not be impressed :-)

But, yes, you can scale up the experiment described in letter #064.

What might be a better demonstration, because it actually requires the electricity, would be plating zinc onto copper. You can get the zinc as 'zinc anodes' from a boating supplies store, and the copper sheet perhaps from a hardware store or plumbing supply store. There is no reason the experiment can't be scaled up from the description on our FAQ, Electroplating -- How It Works.


Ted Mooney, P.E. 
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey

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