Question

Electrolytic deposition of a superior metal on a base metal:

Answer 1

Before answering this question, we should first know what is electroplating. The method of depositing one metal on the other metal in the presence of a metal salt in aqueous solution is electroplating. The final product in the process is the water molecule. Electroplating is based on the theory of hydrolysis as a consequence.

Complete answer:
Electrolytic deposition of a superior metal on a base metal is known as electroplating.
The process of plating a metal on the other metal with the help of hydrolysis is known as Electroplating. It is mainly used to prevent the metal from corrosion or for decoration. Electric current is used in the process to reduce dissolved metal cations to develop a lean coherent metal coating on the electrode.
Electroplating is applied in the electrical oxidation of anions on a solid substrate like the formation of silver chloride on silver wire to form silver chloride electrodes.
It is also used to modify the surface features of an object like corrosion, protection, lubricity, abrasion. It can also be used to build thickness or make objects by electroforming.
How does electroplating work?
Metal that you want to coat should be the positive electrode while the object that should receive the deposit of the electroplating metal should be the negative electrode. The electrolyte should be a solution of the coating metal, as it is a metal nitrate or sulphate.

Note:
Uses of electroplating are-
It improves surface uniformity.
It improves wear resistance.
It minimizes friction.
It improves the thickness of the metal surface.
It enhances the electrical conductivity like plating a copper layer on an electrical component.