Jewelry is often manufactured by electroplating an expensive metal such as gold over a cheaper metal.A setup for this process can be sketched as follows: What would happen if the battery connections were suddenly reversed?

Question

Jewelry is often manufactured by electroplating an expensive metal such as gold over a cheaper metal.A setup for this process can be sketched as follows:  What would happen if the battery connections were suddenly reversed?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Reversing the battery connections would result in the gold electrode becoming the cathode instead of the anode. This would cause gold ions in solution to begin to electroplate onto the gold electrode, resulting in a thicker coating of gold. However, this would also mean that the cheaper metal which was previously being electroplated with gold would no longer be plated, as it would now become the anode.

Jewelry Is Often Manufactured by Electroplating an Expensive Metal Such