Copper Plating Lab
Name _________________
Caution: the solutions used in this lab are caustic and poisonous — wear your goggles!
Wash your hands at the end of this lab.
1.
Place a dry paper towel square on your balance and zero it out.
Find the starting mass of your wet copper strip by dipping it into your Copper Sulfate solution
and then placing it on the paper towel on your balance.
Starting mass of the wet copper strip: __________________
Repeat the procedure with your nickel to find its starting mass.
Find the starting mass of the wet nickel: _____________________
2.
Connect the copper strip to the positive electrode (red wire) and place the copper strip into the
Copper Sulfate solution.
Connect your nickel to the negative electrode (black wire), but don’t put it in the solution yet.
3.
Without turning on the power, orient the nickel so that the “heads” side is facing the
copper strip, then immerse the nickel in the solution for 10 seconds.
At the end of 10 seconds, remove the nickel from the solution and examine it for any
obvious change in color.
4.
Turn the power on and repeat procedure #3. Be careful not to allow the nickel to come
into contact with the copper strip. Remove the nickel after 10 seconds of immersion, and turn off
the power. Examine the nickel.
What changes do you notice in the nickel’s appearance? _________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Describe any differences between the “heads” side and the “tails” side: _____________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5.
Being careful not to allow the nickel to make contact with the copper strip, put the nickel back
into the solution and turn on the power. Check the time. Leave the nickel in the solution for 5
minutes.
6.
At which electrode (positive or negative) is copper being reduced? _________________________
7.
Which of the equations below shows oxidation?
a)
8.
Cu +2 + e- 
Cu
b)
Cu

Cu +2 + e-
At the end of 5 minutes, turn off the power and remove the nickel from the solution. Find its
ending mass and calculate its change in mass using + for gain and – for loss. Repeat this
procedure for the copper strip.
Ending mass of nickel: _______________
Change in mass of nickel: _________________
Ending mass of copper strip: ____________
Change in mass of copper strip: _____________