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Which metal ions can be electroplated from aqueous solutions?
Metals that can be electroplated in aqueous solutions include copper, nickel, chromium, zinc, cadmium, lead, gold, silver, platinum, iron, cobalt, manganese, antimony, bismuth, gallium, indium, thallium, palladium, rhenium, rhodium, osmium, niobium, iridium, tungsten, and about 30 other types. Other reactive metals can only be electroplated in non-aqueous solutions, such as magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, aluminum, etc. This is because when these metals are electroplated in an aqueous solution, the reduction reaction that occurs at the cathode is not the reduction and deposition of ions of those metals; instead, hydrogen atoms are reduced to hydrogen gas, which is then released. Therefore, such metals cannot be electroplated in aqueous solutions.
Metals that can be electroplated in aqueous solutions include copper, nickel, chromium, zinc, cadmium, lead, gold, silver, platinum, iron, cobalt, manganese, antimony, bismuth, gallium, indium, thallium, palladium, rhenium, rhodium, osmium, niobium, iridium, tungsten, and about 30 other types.
Electroplating is mostly carried out in a solution, and the vast majority of it takes place in an aqueous solution. Approximately 30 types of metals can be electroplated using aqueous solutions. Metals that can be electroplated this way include copper Cu, nickel Ni, chromium Cr, zinc Zn, cadmium Cd, lead Pb, gold Au, silver Ag, platinum Pt, cobalt Co, manganese Mn, antimony Sb, bismuth Bi, mercury Hg, gallium Ga, indium In, arsenic As, selenium Se, tellurium Te, palladium Pd, rhodium Rh, osmium Os, iridium Ir, niobium Nb, and tungsten W. Some must be electroplated using non-aqueous solutions, such as lithium, sodium, potassium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, aluminum, La, Ti, Zr, Ge, Mo, etc. Metals that can be electroplated in aqueous and non-aqueous solutions include copper, silver, zinc, cadmium, arsenic, bismuth, manganese, cobalt, nickel, and others.