Electrochemistry Patent uses oxalate electrolyte for plating Au, Ag, Cu, Ni..

[solar_plasma]

http://www.google.com/patents/US7235165

I found this interesting. Does anyone know it or like to discuss it?

 

[solar_plasma]

"15. The method of claim 8 wherein the plating metal is chosen from the group consisting of brass, copper, nickel, zinc, silver, gold, iron, manganese-nickel alloys, lead and stainless steel.
16. The method of claim 8 wherein the article comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, brass, copper, nickel, steel, lead, stainless steel and zinc."

The patent seems to be expired.

 

[g_axelsson]

The patent seems to be expired.

Correct!

Status: 	Patent Expired Due to NonPayment of Maintenance Fees Under 37 CFR 1.362
Status Date: 07-27-2015

Somehow I suspect it didn't work as well as they wanted. There is no demand that a patent should actually work to get it granted. It just seems that it has to be written in a cryptic way that no other than a patent lawyer could read.

Göran

 

[g_axelsson]

There are many oxalates that are hard to dissolve... so I checked up on copper.
"Copper(II) Oxalate Hemihydrate is highly insoluble in water" according to the first site I visited. Second site confirmed it. Must be hard to get any into solution then... oops! :shock:

Göran

 

[solar_plasma]

If oxalic acid results in complexes with metal oxides just as it does with iron oxide (http://www.chemieunterricht.de/dc2/haus/v152.htm) then it might do just this with the oxides that might build up at the anode under anodic oxidation.

Just a thought.

But you are right, if it worked well, he would not have let it expire.

Though oxalic and silver does not sound good....I think I read something alarming on the forum (yes here it is: http://goldrefiningforum.com/~goldrefi/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=19939)

Too bad information basis and too many details in question to give this plating cell a try.