Question

The electrolyte used in soft metal Plating is _____________

(a) Sodium cyanide with caustic soda

(b) Cyanide hexa Meta phosphate

(c) Cyanide oxide

(d) Cyanide peroxide

The question was posed to me during an interview.

The query is from Electroplating Baths topic in section Electroplating of Engineering Chemistry II

Answer 1

The correct answer is (a) Sodium cyanide with caustic soda

Best explanation: Usually in the soft metal plating method, the pure metal bar acts as the anode, the object is to be plated (impure metal) acts as the cathode and the sodium cyanide along with caustic soda solution acts as the electrolyte. When electricity is passed between the electrodes, the positive metal ions from the electrolyte move to the negative anode (the object), where they are neutralized by the electrons and adhere to the object as soft metal.