Electroplating involves coating an object with a thin layer of pure metal via electrolysis. It's like giving your metal object a brand new, shiny outfit!

• Inert Carbon Electrodes
  • Example: Electrolysis of aqueous copper(II) sulfate.
  • Electrodes don't react with the solution.
• Reactive Metal Electrodes
  • Example: Electrolytic cell with copper sulfate solution, both anode & cathode made of copper.
  • Adds material to the cathode (plating) & takes material away from the anode (eroding).

• Oxidation at Anode: Metal anode is oxidized to produce cations in the solution.

  • E.g., Copper anode erodes to form Cu²⁺(aq) ions.

• Reduction at Cathode: These cations travel and get reduced at the cathode, forming a metal layer.

  • E.g., Steel cathode plated with a copper layer. Think of it as your steel getting a "copper makeover"!

• Impurities in the Process: Impure copper as anode? No problem!

  • Impurities may stay on the anode or remain in the solution, based on their reactivity.

Want pure copper? Use impure copper as the anode. As it erodes, pure copper plates onto the cathode. Impurities either chill with the old anode or swim in the solution.