6. What to do:
Prepare the key for copper-plating by
cleaning it.
Stircopper sulfate into some hot water
in a beaker until no more will dissolve.
Your solution should be dark blue. Let it
cool.
7. Attach the copper electrode to the positive
terminal of the battery (this is now
the anode) and the other to attach the key to
the negative terminal (now called
the cathode).
Partially suspend the key in the solution
8. Place the copper strip into the solution,
making sure it doesn't touch the key . An
electrical circuit has now formed and
current is flowing.
Leave the circuit running for 20-30 minutes,
or until you are happy with the amount of
copper on the key.
10. What Happens….
The copper sulfate solution is an
electrolyte that conducts electricity from
one electrode to the other. When the
current is flowing, oxidation (loss of
electrons) happens at the copper anode,
adding copper ions to the solution.
11.
12. Thoseions travel on the electric current to
the cathode, where reduction (gain of
electrons) happens, plating the copper
ions onto the key.
