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Uses for lead acetate in plating

Q. I would like to know if anybody knows whether lead acetate might be used in a plating shop in any significant volume (in other words, not for lab tests), and for what purpose it would be used? Thanks!

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
1998

 

A. Lead Acetate is a common catalytic poison used to restrain Electroless Nickel baths. It is present in trace quantities and shuts down the mechanism which would yield runaway plateout on tank walls, bath particulate matter, piping, etc. Too much will shut down the electroless bath altogether by interrupting the catalytic decomposition of the Borane-based Hydrides into free hydrides on the plating surface which then would subsequently reduce any nearby adsorbed Nickel ions. But unless the plater in charge of the process really knows what s/he's doing its not advisable to alter the stock concentration. Electroless suppliers have many formulations already on their shelves.

Regards,

Dave Kinghorn
Chemical Engineer
SUNNYvale, California
1997

A. Lead acetate is a component of many gold strippers. The lead facilitates the reactions involving oxidixing agents, complexing agents and atoms of gold.

Robert Audette
- Keasby, New Jersey
1997

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Thanks gentlemen.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey