
Curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET

The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing 1989-2025

-----
Organic brighteners in nickel
What is the chemical mechanism of organic brighteners (i.e. saccharin) in nickel electroplating?
Ken DelahoyPhoto Stencil LLC - Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
2001
This is a very complicated question, actually, and a pretty good answer can be found in ASMI's Metals Handbook, Volume 5: "Surface Cleaning, Finishing, and Coating" ⇦ this on eBay, Amazon, AbeBooks [affil links] . But as a simplification, brighteners are attracted to the deposition point where they at least partially block further plating, thus causing more seed points for a smaller grain size, while also making current flow to the lower current density areas for a more even deposition.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2001
Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread