Second topic: Corrosion of metals

What is corrosion?
• When a metal is attacked by air, water or other substances in its
surroundings, the metal is said to corrode.
• In general, the more reactive a metal is, the more readily it corrodes.
• Corrosion of iron is called "rust".
Rusting:
Rust is the reddish brown flaky solid on iron and steel.
It is hydrated iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3 .xH2O).
• Oxygen and water are essential for iron to rust.
• Salt/sea water and acid rain increase the rate of rusting.
• Iron is the only metal that rusts, other metals corrode or tarnish.
• Rusting is a serious economic problem.
Iron can be protected from rusting by preventing oxygen and water from
reaching its surface.
Methods used for rust prevention:
To prevent iron rusting, it is necessary to stop oxygen (from the air) and water
coming into contact with it. There are several ways of doing this.
Method Iron object Comment
Painting Steel bridges, • If the paint is scratched,
Apply a coat of paint on the iron object to car bodies, The iron beneath it starts
prevent it from coming in contact with air garden gates to rust.
and water. and girders • Regular re-painting is used
to keep this protection.
Oiling and Greasing Moving parts of • The treatment must be
machinery, repeated regularly.
bicycle chain

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Coating with plastic Refrigerators
PVC is used to coat steel preventing it and garden
from being in contact with oxygen and chairs
water
Electroplating: Food cans that Tin is used as it is unreactive
With tin or chromium are made from and non-toxic. However, if the
steel tin layer is broken, the steel
beneath will begin to rust.
Sacrificial Protection Large steel Zn (or Mg) is more reactive
Bars of zinc or magnesium are attached to structures, e.g. than iron, so it loses electrons
the iron object. Ships, oil rigs, more readily, leaving a layer
underground of electrons above the iron
pipes. surface preventing it from
oxidation.
When Zn (or Mg) blocks are
used up, another block has to
be attached to the iron object.

Galvanizing Buckets, dust Zn is more reactive than iron,

Coating the steel with a layer of zinc
either by dipping it onto molten zinc or by
electroplating.
bins, steel so, it loses electrons more
girders of readily leaving a layer of
bridges electrons above the iron
surface preventing it from
oxidation.
It has an advantage over other
plating methods in that if the
Zn layer gets scratched
exosing the iron, the iron will
not rust (oxidized). Now the
iron is protected by sacrificial
protection.

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Cathodic Protection: Large steel Electrons from the power
Titanium (inert metal) is attached to steel structures supply are pushed to the steel
structures. Ex.: Oil rigs structure preventing it from
oxidation.

Activity

The following tasks are shown in an experiment.

1. What three things that the results of these experiments tell you about rusting?
2. Make a list of the apparatus you need to make this experiment.
3. Think of a fifth possible tube you could setup to prevent rusting.