I plated a copper plate with a zinc plate. The process is still currently going on. The zinc sheet is so thin now it’s breaking (in the middle I also divided the zinc piece into two pieces because it seems that the copper electrode was not connected properly).
Setup: Solar panel supplying 7 volts to power the system, negative electrode connected to zinc plate, positive to copper; submerged in vinegar (acetic acid. The negative electrode alligator clip got plated on the copper too a bit, and the tip was broken as it had gotten dissolved in the acid. The positive electrode alligator clip also got plated with both metals, as I first attached the negative to copper and then switched it.
Zinc plated onto copper.
This side is not done as well.
The experiment went off fine, except the fact that I left it on all night on solar power, and there was some light coming from the tube light, which caused current to pass. Unfortunately in the end, because I didn’t stop the experiment, the plating went black (either because of being left to long in acid or to much time current flowing, I don’t know). In the end when I did examine the zinc piece properly after washing did I realize that after being left so long in acid, the crystal structure of zinc had been revealed, another of Theo’s experiments. Two experiments in one go, not bad!