Chemical nickel plating processes and baths therefor

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF CHEMICALLY PLATING WITH NICKEL A BODY ESSENTIALLY COMPRISING AN ELEMENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF IRON, COBALT, NICKEL, ALUMINUM, COPPER, SILVER, GOLD, PALLADIUM AND PLATINUM, WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID BODY WITH AN AQUEOUS BATH COMPRISING NICKEL IONS, HYPOPHOSPHITE IONS, A COMPLEXING AGENT, AND AN EXALTING ADDITIVE; SAID AGENT BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS SUPPLYING NH4+ IONS TO SAID BATH, THE MOLAR RATIO BETWEEN THE NH4+ IONS AND THE NICKEL IONS IN SAID BATH BEING IN THE RANGE 2 TO 6 SO AS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY TO COMPLEX ALL OF THE NICKEL IONS IN SAID BATH; SAID ADDITIVE BEING PRESENT IN SAID BATH IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT SUBSTANTIALLY TO EXALT THE NORMAL PLATING RATE OF SAID BATH AND BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SIMPLE SHORT CHAIN SATURATED ALIPHATIC MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS, INCLUDING 3 TO 5 CARBON ATOMS AND SALTS THEREOF, SIMPLE SHORT CHAIN SATURATED ALIPHATIC DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS INCLUDING 3 TO 6 CARBON ATOMS AND SALTS THEREOF, AND SHORT CHAIN ALIPHATIC AMINOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND SALTS THEREOF; WHEREIN THE ABSOLUTE CONCENTRATION OF HYPOHOSPHITE IONS IN SAID BATH EXPRESSED IN MOLE/LITER IS WITHIN THE RANGE 0.15 TO 1.20, THE RATIO BETWEEN NICKEL IONS AND HYPOPHOSPHITE IONS IN SAID BATH EXPRESSED IN MOLAR CONCENTRATIONS IS WITHIN THE RANGE 0.25 TO 1.60, AND THE INITIAL PH OF SAID BATH IS WITHIN THE APPROXIMATE RANGE 4.0 TO 11.0.