Why You Can't Copper Plate Steel ~ Reactivity Series Explained (works the same for aluminum plating)

I'll show you the science behind acid copper plating steel and the extra steps required to achieve success. Watch entire video for all the info!!! All this information applies the same way to aluminum.Show more

In chemistry there are several factors that go into whether a chemical reaction will take place. A couple pretty big hitters are the relative electronegativities and the position of the elements in the reactivity series. The way these characteristics interact with each other isn't necessarily intuitive especially if you don't have a very strong background in chemistry.

Basically since iron (Fe) is higher in the reactivity series and more "electro positive" than copper it undergoes a single displacement reaction with copper when it is placed in an aqueous solution of copper ions.

The reaction is almost instant and a thin coating of copper is formed on the surface of the iron. This prevents any kind of electroplating one might be trying to accomplish.

The solution to prevent this reaction from occurring is to first plate the iron component in something else before attempting to electroplate with an acid copper solution.

I explain in this video how the reactivity series works, how the immersion deposit of copper through a single displacement reaction occurs and what material to first plate onto the iron to achieve an adherent coat of copper plating.

Nickel plating is or tin plating is usually the intermediate coating process used to electroplate steel. I'll be making a nickel plating guide in the future so make sure you subscribe so you don't miss any of the info.

Basically nickel does not react with copper nor does nickel sulphate react with iron. This stepping stone process allows anyone to get good copper plating finish on steel parts.

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If you enjoyed this video let me know in the comments or leave me a question if something wasn't clear. Below are some resources for your own reference. Good look and happy electroforming!!!

Reactivity Series:
https://www.thoughtco.com/activity-series-of-metals-603960
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactivity_series

Single Displacement Reaction:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_displacement_reaction

Electroplating / Electroforming Guide (Not for the faint of heart!)
https://metalfinishing.epubxp.com/t/12238-metal-finishing-guide-book

Get Copper Sulphate and try this experiment yourself here:
https://amzn.to/2RzjEFT

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