Is there electrolysis between Silver and Gold?

warnerwh · « **on:** 12 Nov 2006, 06:56 am »

I wonder if there's electrolysis between silver and gold as I have this combination on power cables and speaker cables.

Also isn't brass neutral? At least the guy at a plumbing store told me this?

Thank You

pacifico · « **Reply #1 on:** 12 Nov 2006, 08:35 pm »

There cant be if both are elementalmetals, nowhere for the electrons to go in a reaction. for electrolysis to occur on metal needs to dump e- and the other needs to accept, in this case neither can accept. you coun potentially have side reactions withglue or other materials (especially ith silver). i can do more res but this is my top of the head answer.

elcaptain88 · « **Reply #2 on:** 12 Nov 2006, 08:48 pm »

For electrolysis, among other things, you need a solvent or the material in liquid form so that you have free ions. This will never occur in a cable. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc - neutral how?

jules · « **Reply #3 on:** 12 Nov 2006, 10:02 pm »

I'm with elcaptain on this ... The possible chemical/electrochemical reations possible here are oxidation [which doesn't need moisture but is often accelerated by it] and electolysis which requires free ions in solution. Gold is practically speaking inert. Silver, copper and zinc can all oxidize and take part in electrolysis. A practical example of brass corroding is the green gunk that accumulates around the positive terminal of a car battery [the colour being characteristic of copper salts].

Within a cable you aren't going to get any problems but RCAs, even if they are gold plated, can slowly corrode aided by atmospheric moisture and maybe salt if you happen to be near the coast.

Jules

pacifico · « **Reply #4 on:** 12 Nov 2006, 10:33 pm »

for an electrochemical reaction to occur you necessarily don't need a solvent...that's different from electrolysis. you have solventless electrochemical reactions occuring in your computer processor right now. gold is suprisingly less inert than you would believe. i just looked at the half reaction and it's just inside of two volts. silver is around 0.2 volts. doesn't matter though...if it is a simple silver-gold junction there is no electron accpetor therefore nothing should happen regardless of solvent..there is the possibility of air oxidation of the silver and you don't a current for this happen....anyone here of polishing silver...silver oxide could serve as an electron acceptor but I am pretty sure no reaction would occurr (gold oxidation) b/c the oxidation potential of gold is too high (or is it the reducing potential

)

elcaptain88 · « **Reply #5 on:** 13 Nov 2006, 12:08 am »

Quote from: pacifico on 12 Nov 2006, 10:33 pm

for an electrochemical reaction to occur you necessarily don't need a solvent...that's different from electrolysis. you have solventless electrochemical reactions occuring in your computer processor right now. gold is suprisingly less inert than you would believe. i just looked at the half reaction and it's just inside of two volts. silver is around 0.2 volts. doesn't matter though...if it is a simple silver-gold junction there is no electron accpetor therefore nothing should happen regardless of solvent..there is the possibility of air oxidation of the silver and you don't a current for this happen....anyone here of polishing silver...silver oxide could serve as an electron acceptor but I am pretty sure no reaction would occurr (gold oxidation) b/c the oxidation potential of gold is too high (or is it the reducing potential )

What? Define 'electron acceptor'?

Gold is very inert - that's why its used extensively as plating.

warnerwh · « **Reply #6 on:** 13 Nov 2006, 02:03 am »

Thank you guys for the help!

pacifico · « **Reply #7 on:** 13 Nov 2006, 01:47 pm »

gold is not as inert as you think. no it doesn't oxidize with atmosphereic oxygen or react with water but you get it to do almost anything that any other metal would. It actually is attached to antibodies all the time for imaging in cell processes...it readily reacts will certain sulfur compounds and loves cyanide...didn't realize this but you can even make organometallics with gold (compounds with gold carbon bonds) and even catalysts

an electron acceptor is something that accepts electrons in a chemical reaction...you can also call it an oxidizing agent as it removes electrons from the reducing agent....redox reactions but the easy way to remember it is OILRIG

oxidation is loss of electrons
reduction is gain

Every chemical reaction is electrochemical in nature....as a matter of fact mitochondria sort of work like tiny batteries/capacitors and they are much more efficient then anything we've come up with but they've had a few billion year headstart