Where would I find out what metals are used in gold plated electrical connectors? Sci.chem is dead. I want to find out whether there are toxic metals used sometimes or not, eg lead, cadmium, etc.
thanks NT
Gold plating info
Apr 30, 2018
4 Replies
You'd have to contact the connector vendor to know for sure. Connector plating is often gold over nickel.
John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc
picosecond timing precision measurement
jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com
http://www.highlandtechnology.com
ISTR it involves quite a lot of cyanide exposure so best do it in a proper fume cupboard.
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Gold contacts are usually plated with an alloy of gold and about 0.25% nickel or cobalt to harden it and prevent the mating contacts from cold welding and eventually tearing each other apart. Lead or cadmium are very unlikely to be present. Copper and its alloys are almost invariably plated with a barrier layer of nickel under the gold. This prevents the gold from diffusing into the copper and eventually disappearing. The best electrolytes are based on gold/potassium cyanide, so they do need to be handled carefully. A fume cupboard is a good idea if large areas are being plated and significant amounts of hydrogen cyanide released.
John
thanks John, just what I was looking for.
NT
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