History of gold coatings

The history of gold deposition began in the early nineteenth century when many art objects were electroplated with gold. It has been traced to the early work of Brugnatelli in 1805. Goldelectroplating formulations based on the double salt gold potassium cyanide was patented in 1840. Since then, gold has been plated from cyanide electrolytes, where (Au + ) is ligated with cyanide (CN - ).With regard to the two main disadvantages of cyanide electrolytes, toxicity and risks for technical personnel, there is a trend for using non-cyanide electrolytes. This article is an overview of the historyof gold coatings and investigations of gold complex based on mecaptotriazole.