The Electrodeposition of Aluminum from Nonaqueous Solutions at Room Temperature

The electrodeposition of aluminum in the form of white or shiny adherent plates on various metals has been accomplished at room temperature. A satisfactory plating solution is prepared by mixing two moles of anhydrous aluminum chloride with 1 mole of ethyl pyridinium bromide, preferably in a dry, oxygen‐free atmosphere, to produce a liquid to which benzene (or toluene) is added until a second layer, principally excess benzene, forms on the top of the plating solution. Using an aluminum anode, plating may be carried out in a protected atmosphere at cathode current densities of approximately 1 amp/dm2 (about 9 amp/ft2) using voltages of the order of one volt.