Metal finishing Q&As since 1989
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Electroplating Technical Difficulties
Hi. My name is Victoria. I was trying to find out how long the process of electroplating usually takes. I am conducting an experiment on electroplating copper onto a paper clip. I have a copper penny hooked up with insulated copper wire to the positive terminal of an alkaline battery and a paper clip hooked up with insulated copper wire to the negative terminal of an alkaline battery. The penny and paper clip are submerged in vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon]. I have waited for about three hours and the only thing occurring is bubbles on the paper clip. I found this experiment in an encyclopedia/general helpful tips book. I am not sure what is wrong. Are the batteries not strong enough? They are C type. Maybe I need a different type of wire? Or perhaps the penny doesn't have enough copper on it? They are 2008 pennies. If you have any suggestions to what might be the problem, please post an answer. This is my science fair project. If I need to switch experiments, I'd like to switch early. Thank-you.
Victoria P.student - Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
February 27, 2011
A. Hi, Victoria.
Older pennies, 1982 or earlier, would be better since they are solid copper rather than just copper plated. Please see our FAQs on "How Electroplating Works". You may find the zinc plating experiment easier, but the 2nd one is copper plating. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. Hi Victoria
You mention twice that your wire is insulated. Are you sure that you stripped the insulation off the ends. You need good contact with the copper wire to allow the current to flow. Some wire has varnish under the plastic insulation and you may need to scrape this off.
Geoff Smith
Hampshire, England
A. It sounds like your problem is that there is very little soluble copper in the vinegar. It is dissolving slowly from the penny, but if the copper concentration in the solution is very low, then there is very little, if any, to electroplate out on the paper clip. The fact that there are bubbles on the paperclip means that current is flowing and you are producing hydrogen gas instead of depositing copper.
If you can get some copper acetate [affil links] or copper sulphate, and dissolve some in the vinegar, then you should see some copper plating out. A typical acid copper plating solution would have many grams per liter of soluble copper, but even 1 gram per liter of soluble copper should result in visual copper on the paper clip.
consultant - Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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