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Activity for Electroplating of Copper – COPPER PLATING:

For electroplating an iron object with copper metal:

i. The iron object is made negative electrode that

is cathode. This means that the iron object is
connected to the negative terminal of the battery.

ii. A copper plate is made positive electrode that is

anode. This means that a copper plate is
connected to the positive terminal of the battery.

iii. Copper sulphate solution is taken as electrolyte.

Electroplating of an iron object with copper is as follows:

Requirements:

 Take 250 ml of distilled water in a clean beaker and dissolve two tablespoons of copper
sulphate in it.

 It will give us a blue coloured copper sulphate solution (CuSO4). To it add a few drops of
dilute sulphuric acid (H2SO4) to copper sulphate solution to make it more conducting.

 Take a copper plate of about 10 cm x 4 cm size and a door key made of iron.

 Clean the surface of copper plate and iron key by rubbing with Sandpaper.
 Then wash them with water and dry them.

Process:

 Now, immerse the cleaned copper plate in the copper sulphate solution (CuSO4) in the

beaker. Connect the copper plates to the positive terminal of a battery through a switch.
This copper plate now becomes the positive electrode (anode).

 Also, immerse the clean iron key also in copper sulphate solution at a small distance from
the copper plate. Connect the negative terminal of the battery to the iron key. This iron key

now becomes the negative electrode (cathode).
 Switch on the electric current by closing the switch. Allows the current to pass for about 15

minutes.

 Remove the copper plate and iron key from the copper sulphate solution and look at them
carefully.

 We will find that the copper plate has dissolved a little and the iron key has got a reddish
layer of copper metal all over its surface.

 Thus the iron key has been electroplated with copper and the copper sulphate solution

remains unchanged.

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