jpsmith123 - 9-1-2006 at 19:39
I saw this "Black Ruthenium" pen plating solution on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PEN-PLATING-SOLUTION-BLACK-RUTHENIUM-30M...
Being that it's $60.00 USD for only 30 ml, I'm thinking it must really be ruthenium, but if it's black, I'm thinking it must be RuO2. Is it possible
to easily plate PGM oxides some how?
Magpie - 9-1-2006 at 20:56
This is just a remembrance from the past but when were making plans to dissolve spent nuclear fuel at work we were concerned with where the
radioactive Ru would end up. Our understanding was that it would go into the off-gas as Ru oxide and end up plating (or attaching) itself to the
nearest available stainless steel.
pyrochem - 10-1-2006 at 15:44
I happened to see the same item, and I think thin platings of Ru are black/dark. Perhaps it is covered in an oxide layer. One Ru plated item is at http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Elements/044/index... The necklace beads are a sort of dark gray.
Fleaker - 10-1-2006 at 18:26
I think it's some sort of electrolyte, like K2PtCl4 (which will plate out a black platinum deposit) so I think this is something of a similar nature.
Comparing platinum to ruthenium might be going to far, but it should behave relatively similar.
jpsmith123 - 10-1-2006 at 20:21
I sent the seller an email, asking him about this, but as of yet I've received no reply.
BTW, here's an excerpt from a patent I've uploaded in another thread:
Example XVI
Two titanium rods were degreased and pickled and subsequently placed in a galvanic bath having the following composition:
100 cc. ethanol
100 cc. water
1 g. ruthenium chloride
10 g titanium chloride
and subsequently connected to a source of alternating current of 13 volts and a current density of 15 amp/m^2, temperature 20-30 degrees C., for a
period of about 20 minutes.
After about 20 minutes both rods were coated with a mixture of titanium oxide and ruthenium oxide, the adhesion of which was still further improved by
heating at 400 degrees C for 5 minutes.
The anode thus made is excellently suitable for use in various electrolyses at low current densities.
******************************************
If that's accurate, then I suppose it's possible that this plating solution does plate RuO2.