I was thinking about doing electrolysis of copper sulfate solution with a sterling silver anode and wondered what would plate out on the cathode? Will only copper plate out leaving behind silver anode sludge, or will the silver plate out on the cathode? Will a combination of the two plate out on the cathode?

 

 

Thanks for the help

You will very likely get both silver and copper platting out. The ratio will depend on the time, current and voltage.

With a reasonable low current you should get copper plate and a silver sludge, at least initially.

If you were to add a little salt then any silver that did go into solution would precipitate out as the chloride.

(silver sulphate isn't very soluble, but I think the amount of silver that would oxidise would be small and would dissolve unless you added something else to precipitate it..).

With a reasonable low current you should get copper plate and a silver sludge, at least initially.

If you were to add a little salt then any silver that did go into solution would precipitate out as the chloride.

(silver sulphate isn't very soluble, but I think the amount of silver that would oxidise would be small and would dissolve unless you added something else to precipitate it..).

 

Does separating the anode and cathode with an electrolyte bridge have any influence on what happens to the silver?