Abstract: Improved apparatus and method for the electrodeposition of aluminum and its alloys using aprotic, oxygen and water-free organoaluminum electrolytes, involving a method for removing water from pretreated workpieces and locating them in a plating barrel without exposure of workpieces to air, and further utilizing a rotatable, triple-chambered treatment barrel which provides a greater ratio of anode to cathode surface area and also decreased spacing between anode and cathode, and further applying centrifugal force to the treatment barrel to assist the draining and removal of electroplating and rinse solvents.

Abstract: Improved apparatus and method for the electrodeposition of aluminum and its alloys using aprotic, oxygen and water-free organoaluminum electrolytes, utilizing a rotatable, triple-chambered treatment barrel which provides a greater ratio of anode to cathode surface area and also decreased spacing between anode and cathode, and further applying centrifugal force to the treatment barrel to assist the draining and removal of electroplating and rinse solvents.

Abstract: Aluminum or an alloy thereof is electroplated upon electrically conductive substrates by immersing the substrate as a cathode in a novel stable electrolyte, made by (a) reacting aluminum with a hydrogen halide or a halogen and hydrogen halide, in the absence of water, but in one of several organic, non-Lewis base solvents or mixtures thereof to form an intermediate aluminum halide cation in solution, the concentration of the aluminum cation and the concentration of hydrogen ion in solution being, respectively, below about 5.0 M and 0.4 M and preferably containing an aluminum cation concentration extending between 2.7 M and 4.2 M and a [H.sup.+ ] ion concentration extending between about 0.01 M and about 0.3 M, the exact maximum amount of [H.sup.+ ] ion concentration depending upon the aluminum ion concentration (there is a direct, substantially linear, relationship between the [Al.sup.+3 ] ion concentration and [H.sup.

Abstract: Adherent deposits of aluminum can be obtained on metallic substrates by anodic etching of the substrates (reverse current electrolytic cleaning) employing a novel etch solution made as follows:1. reacting a sufficient amount of aluminum with a hydrogen halide such as HCl, HBr, or HI (preferably hydrogen bromide) in an organic solvent such as benzene or toluene (and in the absence of water) to form a solution in which the concentration of the dissolved aluminum is from 2.0 M to 3.5 M; and2. then adding hydrogen halide to the resulting solution of 1) above such that the hydrogen ion concentration of the said resulting solution is greater than 1.0 M but below the saturation point of hydrogen halide in said solution.Prior to the actual plating operation, the novel etch solution just described is directed to a plating chamber wherein the metallic substrate is electrocleaned by reverse current anodic etching, i.e.