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Pharmaceutical Tablet to be Coated with Metal?

I am trying to coat a pharmaceutical type tablet with a hard, waterproof and acid soluble coating. The tablet will contain a toxin for the control of a particular pest animal in Australia and will be inserted into a moist meat bait. Differences between the way native wildlife species and this pest species process food encourages the rejection (spitting out) of the tablet by non-target (native) wildlife species. We know that the pest species will consume chrome plated ball bearings. These bearings suffer significant corrosion when consumed.

My query is; can we coat a pharmaceuitical type tablet with a thin coat of metal. In theory the metal will corrode and the tablet will then rupture and release our toxin. How are decorative beads coated with silver plate, etc?

Mike Johnston
Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment - Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2001

Vacuum metallizing with chrome or other metals is a possibility. Also, there are silver and copper containing conductive paints available for conductive coatings on plastics. However, these are not water soluble.

Mandar Sunthankar
- Fort Collins, Colorado
2001