Gold Plating on Glass? I am considering labware options to handle NaOH solutions at ~150 °C. One appealing idea would be to coat my current glassware with gold. I've read different sources mentioning the possibility without further detail.
The most detailed description of a process for this is INSTRUCTIONS FOR GOLD PLATING ON GLASS by Peacock Laboratories, Inc who sells (or used to sell) products for doing so. Unfortunately, this says little as to the chemical mechanisms involved.
Would anyone guess what chemicals are being used in this process and know how to explain the mechanisms at hand, and perhaps describe properties to expect from the result?
Can I expect impermeability from the coating or at least a significantly reduced glass surface exposure to hydroxides? What is the best resistance to expect vs routine cleaning of glassware that would be coated with such a method? Can I expect it to not dissociate upon heat shocks that borosilicate glass can handle? Would there be any chemicals to avoid with such a coating, other than the few that would be expected to react with / dissolve gold metal?
Gold plating glass could probably be 99.99% complete. It would make a nice mirror and would probably stay unoxidized for a long time.

However, if I wanted to remove the gold, I think I would rinse the glass with HF solution, or perhaps NaOH solution, either of which would find those teeny tiny gaps and undercut the whole gold plate. 

I don't think there would be any strong chemical bonding, and no mechanical strength to a gold film. Glass is just a reactive substrate, and protecting it would require a finite thickness, with mechanical strength. 

An example of plating not working well is chromium plating (although it can be done very well, it requires much attention to detail). Automobile bumpers used to be chrome plated, but developed rust spots after a few years because of porosity in the chromium film. I believe nickel plating to reduce corrosion tendency (but Ni is not shiny enough) followed by chrome plating works reasonably well. But then there is hexavalent chromium toxicity... So now we just paint the bumpers or make them out of plastic. 

Perhaps you could coat the glass with teflon or polypropylene.