A steel spoon is electroplated with silver. The spoon and a bar of silver are used as the electrodes. The electrolyte is silver nitrate solution, which contains silver ions, Ag+\mathrm{Ag^{+}}Ag+.
State whether the spoon should be the anode or the cathode. Explain your answer.
Write the half equation for the reaction at the surface of the spoon. Include state symbols.
Explain whether the silver ions are oxidised or reduced at the spoon.
Give two reasons why steel cutlery is electroplated with silver.
During plating, the mass of the spoon increases by 0.540 g. Calculate the number of silver atoms deposited on the spoon. Relative atomic mass: Ag = 108. The Avogadro constant is 6.02 × 1023 per mole.
42 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 6.1 Transition metals, alloys and corrosion, covering 6.1.1 Properties of transition metals, 6.1.2 Corrosion and its prevention, and 6.1.3 Alloys and the uses of metals. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.