Quick Chemistry Help Neeeded! (Electrochemistry)

[Kenbuntu]

Honestly, I've been looking for hours and cannot seem to find anything Maybe I'm not looking hard enough (I'll keep trying) but If you guys could help, that'd be great:

1. What health and safety hazards are associated with waste generated by electroplating companies?

2. Why do metal orthodontic braces not corrode?

Thanks in advance.

[Sterling_Bass]

2. Orthodontic braces do not corrode because they are made out of stainless steel. A major component of stainless steel is chromium. This element forms a protective layer of chromium oxide on the surface of the metal, preventing corrosion.

[Kenbuntu]

You are a gentlemen and a scholar. Much thanks goes to you.

[elgecko]

Originally Posted by Kenbuntu

1. What health and safety hazards are associated with waste generated by electroplating companies?

Plating wastes typically include cyanide and strongly acidic/basic liquids from the plating solutions. There are also a whole host of nasty metals like lead, nickel, and the ever popular chromium VI. You usually get a lot of volatile solvents too.

[Fontaine]

here is an article that may help:

http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/cgi.../full/48/3/209

a little down the page it has a heading called electroplating and lists off some chemicals....look up what the chemicals do. I.e are they corrosive, etc...then you will get a good idea of what it should do to humans.

you can also take the chemicals and look them up on a occupational health and safety site, which gives a lot of info on them and what risks they pose to humans and the environment.

[Sterling_Bass]

Originally Posted by Kenbuntu

You are a gentlemen and a scholar. Much thanks goes to you.

I just try to help out where I can. Are there any other questions you need help with?

[coreyfyfe]

The common ions which end up in electroplating waste nickel, copper, iron, aluminium, zinc, chromium, nitrate, phosphate, sulphate, chloride and fluorides. For the metals it's usually soft tissues where they accumulate (organs, skin, etc) and the toxicity is usually related to the body's inability to metabolize them. Since they can't easily be broken down and (in the case of metal ions) are typically positively charged, they will bind organic molecules preventing them from performing their normal functions. Some of the health issues are also related to the way the waste is treated. Typically the metals are pulled out of solution with sodium hydroxide or peroxides which are corrosive. Metals that aren't pulled out by precipitation can be filtered using sand or a silica filtration method.

I'd say you should look up MSDS files for the specific chemicals and you'll probably find the info you need.

[Kenbuntu]

Not at the moment, but thanks! There is another question, but I'd like to take a crack at it first.

[Sterling_Bass]

Excellent. That is the best way to learn.

[Kenbuntu]

All done Thanks Guys!
Till next time.

[Sterling_Bass]

Good work.