Jandette Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 hi I´m working on a personal project, surfing through the internet but I can´t get it done and would really appreciate any help. I´ve been trying to electroplate silver onto copper but I have failed because of the passivation on the silver (cathode). The best dissolution for this, I´ve found on the internet, is with AgCl (precipitate) and HNO3 (aq) as a result of mixing AgNO3 (four grams dissolved in 100 ml of soft water) and HCl (300 ml with a concentration of 28%), with the current of a 9 volt battery (the square ones). I´m quite certain that the nitric acid should stop the oxide layer on the silver but this isn´t happening. How can I stop the passivation? Should I add another compound or the problem is in the current intensity? I cleaned both pieces with specific commercial products to remove oxides and grease. Besides I treated the copper with sandpaper to make room for the silver layer. Thanks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sensei Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 (edited) The best dissolution for this, I´ve found on the internet, is with AgCl (precipitate) and HNO3 (aq) as a result of mixing AgNO3 (four grams dissolved in 100 ml of soft water) and HCl (300 ml with a concentration of 28%), with the current of a 9 volt battery (the square ones). But you didn't use all 300 mL at once of course.. ? It's approximately 100x more in moles than 4 g of AgNO3.. Edited September 18, 2015 by Sensei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cuthber Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 But you didn't use all 300 mL at once of course.. ? It's approximately 100x more in moles than 4 g of AgNO3.. Unless they did because they want some of the silver in solution as the complex [AgCl2]- ion. Having said that, it seems an odd choice to me. Jandette, where did you get the recipe from? Are you able to measure the current flowing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jandette Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Oh, nope. I see my mistake now. The current is 0.19 A. Theoretically speaking, with the right molar concentration, should it work? is there a better (simpler and safer) way? Tanks a lot again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now