2019

Chitrakorn Phaetlakfa
Nath Valley School
9/18/2019
INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
 INVESTIGSTORY PROJECT

NAME OF THE STUDENT: CHITRAKORN

PHEATLAKFA

CLASS: 12TH SCIENCE

SUBJECT: CHEMISTRY

SUBJECT TEACHER: DR.MRS.RAJKUMARI

DIXIT

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 INDEX
1.Certificate
2.Acknowledgement
3.Introduction
4.Theory
5.Experiment
 Aim
 Requirements
 Procedure
 Observation Table
 Conclusion

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 BIO DATA
NAME: CHITRAKORN PHAETLAKFA
FATHER’S NAME: CHAKAPONG
PHAETLAKFA
MOTHER’S NAME: KORAKOT
PHAETLAKFA
DATE OF BIRTH: 26th APRIL 2001
HEIGHT:
WEIGHT:
BLOOD GROUP: ‘B’ POSITIVE

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It would be my pleasure to express my
sincere thanks to my chemistry teachers
Dr. Mrs.Dixit and Mrs.Tathe for
providing a helping hand in this project.
Their valuable guidance, support and
supervision all through this project
titled: “Effect of metal coupling on
rusting of iron”. The project helped me a
lot for attaining its present form.

CHITRAKORN PHAETLAKFA
XII SCIENCE

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 INTRODUCTION
Metals and alloys undergo rusting and
corrosion. The process by which some
metals when exposed to atmospheric
conditions is known as corrosion. The
compounds formed are usually oxides.
Rusting is also a type of corrosion but
the term is restricted to iron or products
made from it. Iron is easily prone to
rusting making its surface rough.

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 OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
In this project the aim is to investigate
effect of metal coupling on the rusting of
iron. Metal coupling affects the rusting
of iron. If the nail is coupled with a more
electro-positive metal like zinc,
magnesium or aluminium rusting is
prevented but if on the other hand, it is
coupled with less electro-positive metal
like copper, the rusting is facilitated.

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Methods of Prevention of Corrosion
and Rusting
1.Barrier Protection:
Introducing barrier film between iron
surface and atmospheric air. The film is
obtained by painting, vanishing, etc.
2.Galvanization:
Covering the metallic iron with the layer
of more active metal such as zinc. The
active metal loses electrons in
preference to iron.
Zn → Zn2+ + 2e-
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Thus, protecting iron from rusting and
corrosion.

THEORY
Chemically, rust is a hydrated ferric
oxide Fe2O3.nH2O. Rusting may be
explained in by an electrical mechanism.
In the presence of moist air containing
dissolved oxygen or carbon dioxide, the
commercial iron behaves as if composed
of small electrical cells. At anode of cell,
iron passed into solution as ferrous ions.
Fe → Fe2+ + 2e-
The electrons from the above reaction
move towards the cathode and form
hydroxyl ions
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 H2O + [O] + 2e- → 2OH-
2Fe3+ + 6OH → Fe2O3.3H2O or 2Fe(OH)3
If supply of oxygen is limited the
corrosion product may be black
anhydrous magnetite, Fe3O4.

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 EXPERIMENT

Aim
Requirement
Procedure
Observation Table
Conclusion

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AIM:
To study the effect of metal coupling on
rusting of iron.

REQUIREMENT:
Two Petri dishes, four test tubes, four
iron nails, beaker, sand paper, wire
gauge, gelatin, copper, zinc and
magnesium strips, potassium
ferricyanide solution, phenolphthalein.

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PROCEDURE:
1. Clean the surface of iron nails with
the help of sand paper. Wash them
with carbon tetrachloride and dry on
filter paper.
2. Wind a clean zinc strip around one
nail, a clean copper wire around the
second and clean magnesium strip
around the third nail. Put all these
three and a forth nail in petri dishes
so that they are not in contact with
each other.
3. Preparation of agar agar solution:

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Heat about 3 g of agar agar solution in
100 ml of water taken in a beaker until
solution becomes clear. Add about 1 ml
of 0.1 M potassium ferricyanide solution,
1 ml of phenolphthalein solution and stir
well the contents.
4. Fill the petri dishes with hot agar
agar solution in such a way that only
lower half of the nails are covered
with the liquids.
5. Keep the covered petri dishes
undisturbed for one day or so.
6. The liquid sets to a gel on cooling.
Two types of patches are observed
around the rusted nail, one is blue
and other is pink patch is due to the
formation of hydroxyl ions which
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 turns colorless phenolphthalein to
pink.

OBSERVATIONS:
S.No. Metal pair Colour of the patch Nail rusts or not
1 Iron-Zinc Pink No
2 Iron-Magnesium Pink No
3 Iron-Copper Green Yes
4 Iron-Nail Brown Yes

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 CONCLUSION:
It may be concluded that coupling of
iron with more electropositive metal
such as zinc and magnesium resists
corrosion and rusting of iron. Coupling of
iron with less electropositive metal such
as copper increases rusting.

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