Electroplating salts

Table 1 Hsts many of acetamide s important physical properties. Acetamide, CH2CONH2, dissolves easily ia water, exhibiting amphoteric behavior. It is slow to hydroly2e unless an acid or base is present. The autodissociation constant is about 3.2 x 10 at 94°C. It combines with acids, eg, HBr, HCl, HNO, to form soHd complexes. The chemistry of metal salts ia acetamide melts has been researched with a view to developing electroplating methods. The hterature of acetamide melts and complexes, their electrochemistry and spectroscopy, has been critically reviewed (9).

In electroless deposition, the substrate, prepared in the same manner as in electroplating (qv), is immersed in a solution containing the desired film components (see Electroless plating). The solutions generally used contain soluble nickel salts, hypophosphite, and organic compounds, and plating occurs by a spontaneous reduction of the metal ions by the hypophosphite at the substrate surface, which is presumed to catalyze the oxidation—reduction reaction. 

Nickel salts and soaps have been used in electrosensitive copy paper for image development. Nickel bis-(3,5 di-Z fZ-butylsaHcylate) [68569-24-4] has been studied in pressure-sensitive color developer sheets (201). It has also been used for color stabili2ation of color copy paper (see Electroplating). 

Quaternary Salts. Herbicides paraquat (20) and diquat (59) are the quaternary salts of 4,4 -bipyridine (19) and 2,2 -bipyridine with methyl chloride and 1,2-dibromoethane, respectively. Higher alkylpyridinium salts are used in the textile industry as dye ancillaries and spin bath additives. The higher alkylpyridinium salt, hexadecylpytidinium chloride [123-03-5] (67) (cetylpyridinium chloride) is a topical antiseptic. Amprolium (62), a quaternary salt of a-picohne (2), is a coccidiostat. Bisaryl salts of butylpyridinium bromide (or its lower 1-alkyl homologues) with aluminum chloride have been used as battery electrolytes (84), in aluminum electroplating baths (85), as Friedel-Crafts catalysts (86), and for the formylation of toluene by carbon monoxide (87) (see QuaternaryAA ONiUM compounds). 

Sulfamic acid has a unique combination of properties that makes it particularly well suited for scale removal and chemical cleaning operations, the main commercial appHcations. Sulfamic acid is also used in sulfation reactions, pH adjustment, preparation of synthetic sweeteners (qv), and a variety of chemical processing appHcations. Salts of sulfamic acid are used in electroplating (qv) and electroforrning operations as well as for manufacturing flame retardants (qv) and weed and hnish killers (see Herbicides). 

Ammonium sulfamate is also produced and commercially available in Japan. It is packed in 25-kg net weight paper bags and 500-kg resinous dexible containers. The tmddoad price (fob Japan) is 1.5— 3/kg. Other sulfamates, eg, nickel sulfamate and aluminum sulfamate, are commercially available. The primary salts manufactured from sulfamic acid in the United States are the ammonium and nickel sulfamates. These salts of sulfamic acid are used mainly in electroplating. 

Electronic and Electrical Applications. Sulfolane has been tested quite extensively as the solvent in batteries (qv), particularly for lithium batteries. This is because of its high dielectric constant, low volatUity, exceUent solubilizing characteristics, and aprotic nature. These batteries usuaUy consist of anode, cathode polymeric material, aprotic solvent (sulfolane), and ionizable salt (145—156). Sulfolane has also been patented for use in a wide variety of other electronic and electrical appHcations, eg, as a coil-insulating component, solvent in electronic display devices, as capacitor impregnants, and as a solvent in electroplating baths (157—161). 

The metal salts of MSA are highly soluble in water as well as in some organic solvents, making MSA usefijl in electroplating operations. For example, lead sulfate is insoluble in water, whereas lead methanesulfonate (lead mesylate) is water soluble. 

Electroplating. When ionicaHy bonded molecules are dissolved in a solvent, some of the molecules dissociate into ions, whether the solvent is water, organic solvent, or a fused salt. A simple example is that of sulfuric acid or copper sulfate in water, giving... 

Electrodeposition of Metals. Citric acid and its salts are used as sequestrants to control deposition rates in both electroplating and electroless plating of metals (153—171). The addition of citric acid to an electroless nickel plating bath results in a smooth, hard, nonporous metal finish. 

In a similar procedure, the atomizer test, which depends on the behavior of an advancing rather than a receding contact angle, a fine mist of water is apphed to the metal surface and the spreading of water is observed. On a clean surface, water spreads to a uniform film. With oleic acid as the test soil, the atomizer test can detect the presence of 10 mg of soil per cm, less than a monomolecular layer (115). For steel that is to be electroplated, the copper dip test is often employed. Steel is dipped into a cupric salt solution and the eveimess of the resulting metallic copper deposit is noted. 

The simplest electroplating baths consist of a solution of a soluble metal salt. Electrons ate suppHed to the conductive metal surface, where electron transfer to and reduction of the dissolved metal ions occur. Such simple electroplating baths ate rarely satisfactory, and additives ate requited to control conductivity, pH, crystal stmcture, throwing power, and other conditions. 

Electroplated Metals and Alloys. The metals electroplated on a commercial scale from specially formulated aqueous solutions iaclude cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, iadium, iron, lead, nickel, platinum-group metals, silver, tin, and ziac. Although it is possible to electroplate some metals, such as aluminum, from nonaqueous solutions as well as some from molten salt baths, these processes appear to have achieved Httie commercial significance. 

---