Which of the following electrolytes would you use to electroplate silver (Ag) on iron (Fe)?
A. [tex]$FeSO _4$[/tex]
B. [tex]$CuCl _2$[/tex]
C. [tex]$AgNO _3$[/tex]
D. [tex]$Zn \left( ClO _3\right)_2$[/tex]
Answer (1)
The electrolyte used for electroplating silver on iron must contain silver ions ( A g + ).
Examine each option to identify the one that contains silver ions.
A g N O 3 (silver nitrate) contains silver ions and is therefore the correct electrolyte.
The correct answer is C .
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We want to determine which of the given electrolytes is suitable for electroplating silver (Ag) on iron (Fe). For electroplating to occur, the electrolyte must contain ions of the metal that is to be plated. In this case, we want to plate silver, so the electrolyte must contain silver ions ( A g + ).
Analyzing the Options Let's examine each option: A. F e S O 4 : This is iron sulfate. It contains iron ions ( F e 2 + or F e 3 + ) and sulfate ions ( S O 4 2 − ). It does not contain silver ions. B. C u C l 2 : This is copper chloride. It contains copper ions ( C u 2 + ) and chloride ions ( C l − ). It does not contain silver ions. C. A g N O 3 : This is silver nitrate. It contains silver ions ( A g + ) and nitrate ions ( N O 3 − ). This is a suitable electrolyte for silver electroplating. D. Z n ( Cl O 3 ) 2 : This is zinc chlorate. It contains zinc ions ( Z n 2 + ) and chlorate ions ( Cl O 3 − ). It does not contain silver ions.
Identifying the Correct Electrolyte Since silver nitrate ( A g N O 3 ) contains silver ions ( A g + ), it is the correct electrolyte to use for electroplating silver on iron.
Final Answer Therefore, the correct answer is C. A g N O 3 .
Examples
Electroplating is used in many industries to coat a metal object with a thin layer of another metal. For example, silver electroplating is used to coat jewelry, cutlery, and electronic components. The process involves immersing the object to be plated (in this case, iron) in an electrolyte solution containing silver ions. When an electric current is passed through the solution, the silver ions are reduced and deposited as a thin layer of silver on the surface of the iron object. This improves the appearance, durability, and corrosion resistance of the iron object.
