The Boy's Playbook of Science: Including the Various Manipulations and Arrangements of Chemical and Philosophical Apparatus Required for the Successful Performance of Scientific Experiments in Illustration of the Elementary Branches of Chemistry and Natural PhilosophyPepper, John Henry
Science
The Boy's Playbook of Science: Including the Various Manipulations and Arrangements of Chemical and Philosophical Apparatus Required for the Successful Performance of Scientific Experiments in Illustration of the Elementary Branches of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy
Pepper, John Henry
Science -- Juvenile literature
[Illustration: Fig. 187. A. Single cell apparatus with proper vessel,
porous tube, and binding screws. B. A large trough divided by a
diaphragm of biscuit-ware or very thin porous wood.]
_Tenth Experiment._
[Illustration: Fig. 188. A. A single cell, Daniell's, attached to B, the
trough containing the mould and the plate of copper. Below is a Smee's
battery ready to be attached to a larger trough for the purpose of
electrotyping a great number of moulds at the same time.]
A single cell apparatus is only adapted to produce small electrotypes,
but when larger ones are required, a separate battery of three or four
[Page 202] Daniell's or Smee's cells is required; and it is usual to
place the mould to be copied in a separate wooden trough, attaching it
to the cathode wire, whilst a copper plate is connected with the anode,
so that as the solution of sulphate of copper undergoes decomposition by
the passage of the electricity, it is kept almost in a normal state, in
consequence of the oxygen of the water and the acid passing to the
copper plate, which they attack and dissolve as fast as the oxide of
copper and hydrogen are liberated at the cathode, where the latter
deoxidizes the oxide of copper, and by a secondary action deposits
metallic copper; the object being to dissolve fresh metal as the copper
is deposited on the mould. (Fig. 188.)
_Eleventh Experiment._
To silver electrotypes or other brass and copper articles, the first
attention must be paid to the cleanness of them; and when an electrotype
is just removed from the copper solution, and washed in clean water, it
is at once ready to receive the coating of silver; otherwise, if it has
been handled, or is slightly greasy, it should be first boiled in a
solution of common washing soda, and then the oxide removed by passing
it rapidly in and out of some "Dipping Acid," which is prepared by
mixing together equal parts of oil of vitriol and nitric acid; when
removed from the "Dipping Acid," it must be well washed in water, and
may remain under the surface of the water until the silvering solution
is ready. A silver solution may be prepared by dissolving a sixpence in
some nitric acid contained in a flask; it is then poured into a solution
of common salt, which precipitates the chloride of silver, and leaves
the copper in solution--the latter is poured off when the chloride has
subsided, and after being well washed in some boiling water, is
dissolved in a solution of cyanide of potassium. If a clean electrotype
is plunged into this solution, it is immediately covered with a very
thin coating of silver, which of course would soon wear off, and in
order to increase the thickness of the silver deposit, a single cell
arrangement may be constructed of a large gallipot containing a wide
porous cell and a circle of amalgamated zinc around it; the arrangement
is set in action by pouring a solution of salt (or, still better, sal
ammoniac) into and around the porous vessel, and the silvering solution
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account