Question

Rahul wants to coat his plastic car with some metal to give it a shiny look using electricity. How can this be done?

• A. By electroplating using metal plate as the positive electrode and plastic car as the negative.
• B. By electroplating using metal plate as the negative electrode and plastic car as the positive.
• C. By electrorefining using metal plate as one of the electrodes and plastic car as other.
• D. Cannot be done as plastic is a non-conducting material.

Answer 1

The correct option is D Cannot be done as plastic is a non-conducting material.

For electroplating, the electrolytic cell consists of two electrodes which are held apart and immersed in an electrolyte. But in order for this to happen, the electrodes need to be conducting.
Rahul cannot electroplate his plastic car because it is a non-conducting material. So, it cannot act as an electrode and can't be electroplated.