Question

Sandeep wants to coat his wooden pencil with some metal to give it a shiny look using electricity. This can be done by:

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

Answer 1

The correct option is B cannot be done as wood 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.
Sandeep cannot electroplate his pencil because the pencil is made of wood which is a non-conducting material. So, it cannot act as an electrode.