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Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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What is the sodium doing in my copper plating experiment?

June 24, 2010

ok we are doing this 5-day chemical reaction project.

We put copper sulphate ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] in a test tube, with an iron nail, paper, sodium chloride and water.

Copper started forming on the bottom. the nail turning red brown. but I don't know what the sodium is doing

Gabriel S
student - Ottumwa, Iowa

June , 2010

Hi, Gabriel. The sodium probably isn't doing anything of importance. You could demonstrate that, if you are interested, by substituting potassium chloride and/or calcium chloride for the sodium chloride. Good luck.

Regards,

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

Hello, Gabriel. Chemists have common terms that they use to refer to ions that don't participate in the reaction of interest. They usually call them "spectator ions" or "bystander ions".

Jon Barrows, MSF, EHSSC
GOAD Company

Independence, Missouri

June 28, 2010

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