From King Midas’ greed to the treasure of the Incas, gold is easily the most widely treasured metal known throughout history. Nearly every culture or group has placed heavy inherent value on it and includes it in their lore. Even the name for gold was graciously thought out and applied. It is derived from the word “geolo”, the Old English word for “yellow”. The periodic symbol for gold, Au, is from the Latin word aurum, “glowing dawn” . Its uses are both, immeasurable and prehistoric. However, its use in the electrodeposition process, the main discussion in this paper, has only been dated back to roughly 1850. Unlike gold, potassium was only acknowledged as an element in the early 1800’s. Potassium Cyanide has a grim history of murder and suicide. Most research on the compound is devoted to the effects it has on humans. Potassium Cyanide, in the industrial sense, is used as a reducing agent, in chemical analysis, metallurgy, and in the process of gold extraction. Uses of Potassium Cyanide also extend into pharmacy and photography . In the early 1800’s, Italian chemist Luigi Brugnatelli invented the process of electroplating . He used an invention called the Voltaic Pile (originally discovered by Allessandro Volta). The voltaic pile is a machine that provides a steady stream of electricity, the first device of its kind. Brugnatelli described what he did as taking an object and applying electricity to it while taking on the visual characteristics of a specified metal. Potassium Cyanide wasn’t included in this process until four decades later. John Wright is accredited with that processional addition. His process was the first to include an electric current which passed through a tank of water. The official patent for electroplating... ... middle of paper ... ... of Gold." Modern Electroplating, Fifth Edition, 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Schlesinger, Mordechay. "Electrochemistry Encyclopedia." Electroplating. Department of Physics, University of Windsor, Sept. 2002. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. "12 Extraordinary Gold Plated Stuff - Oddee.com (golden Objects)." Oddee RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. Rajagopal, Indira, and S.R. Rajangopalan. "Electrochemical Preparation of Potassium Gold Cyanide." Bull. Mater. Sci. 6.2 (1984): 165-75. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 June 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. "POTASSIUM CYANIDE." ChemicalBook---Chemical Search Engine. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. NCBI. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. "Material Safety Data Sheet Gold Potassium Cyanide MSDS." ScienceLab.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
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The periodic table contains many different kinds of elements which are placed accordingly on the table. Potassium is in the alkali metals which is placed in group 1 of the table, alkali metals are among the most active metals. This element was found in 1801 by a man named Humphry Davy. Although the element does not have many uses in pure form as a compound it has many important purposes. Potassium is naturally in the human body if levels become too low or too high then it could cause problems for the individual. Low levels of potassium could cause muscle problems such as cramping and the muscle feeling weak, the person could have a hard time walking or holding onto objects. A serious concern would be the effects on the heart as it causes blood pressure to increase and abnormal heart rhythms.
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Thin solid films were probably first obtained in 1838 by electrolysis. They were systematically prepared by Faraday in 1857.
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The purpose of this experiment is to use our knowledge from previous experiments to determine the theoretical, actual, and percent yields of the lead chromate from the reaction of solutions of potassium chromate and lead nitrate (Lab Guide pg. 83).
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