Abstract
Any chromic acid electroplating bath that has been used contains some trivalent chromium. Whether the metal is deposited from this bath directly from the hexavalent state or through the trivalent state has never been conclusively demonstrated.
By tagging the chromium in either of the two valence states with a radioactive isotope of chromium, the radioactivity of the deposit should indicate from which valence state the metal is deposited. Such experiments show that the chromium is deposited directly from the hexavalent chromium and not from the trivalent chromium present in the bath.