A criminal is preparing to electroplate a silver cup with a thin layer of gold.

Question

A criminal is preparing to electroplate a silver cup with a thin layer of gold. He is planning to sell it to some fool on the black market as a solid gold object worth $10,000. He is currently only able to afford a 1-L gold stock solution that contains 3 g/L. The gold redox reaction involved is Au3++3eAu(s). He rips apart his old cell phone charger as the power supply to perform this dastardly deed. This device can supply 350 mA. Estimate how long (in hours) it will take to plate out all the gold. Question 3

Explanation / Answer

W = (I*t*A)/(n*F)

where;

For gold plating the electrochemical reaction at the cathode will be: Au(3+) + 3e(-) = Au

Subsittuting the values in Faraday's equation;

W = (I*t*A)/(n*F)

t = W*n*F/(I*A)

= 3*3*96486/(0.35*196.966)

=12596.43 seconds = 3.5 hrs

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