5.

4 Corrosion and rusting

CORROSION

Most metals form a dull surface

coating when exposed to air.
The coating is produced as
the metal reacts and forms a compound

magnesium + oxygen --> magnesium oxide

aluminium + oxygen --> aluminium oxide
Corrosion is generally a slow reaction
the more reactive metals
tend to corrode faster.
gold and platinum, do not
corrode at all.

Rusting
special name given to the corrosion of iron and steel.
iron + oxygen + water ---> hydrated iron oxide (rust)
Rust is actually hydrated iron oxide
Both air and water need to be present for iron to rust.
The presence of salt or acid speeds up the rusting of iron.

how rusting occurs in different situations

Tanks left in the desert since the end of the Second World War
show hardly any signs of rust

because the desert atmosphere contains little or no water.

Ships that have sunk in deep areas of the oceans hardly rust at all,

because there is very little air dissolved in the water of the deepest
parts of the ocean.

Iron and steel structures built in or near to the sea rust very
quickly.

This is due to the salt dissolved in the sea water, which

speeds up rusting.

Cars and other iron objects corrode more in areas

where you get acid rain.

Iron is relatively abundant and cheap and when made into steel can
be made to have a variety of useful properties
Iron and steel are the most widely used metals in the world
Iron and steel usually rust when exposed to air and water.

Stainless steel contains

iron, nickel and chromium.
This alloy does not rust because it forms a
surface layer of chromium oxide.
This very thin oxide layer is strong
and keeps out air and water.
(The oxide layer is less than
0.000 000 01 m thick.)
 Investigating rusting.

OBSERVATION --->

METHODE
CONCLUSION
Five identical iron nails were placed in test tubes Both air and water need to be present for iron to rust.
The test tubes were left for a few days and then The presence of salt or acid speeds up the rusting of iron.
examined for thepresence of rust.
The results of the investigation were recorded
below each test tube.

The rusting of iron.

CONCLUSION --->

We can show that iron combines with

the oxygen in air during rusting

METHOD OBSERVATION
setting up the simple experiment shown

After a few days, the steel wool has rusted,

and the water in the test tube rises about one-fifth.
This means that one-fifth of the air has been used.
OBSERVATION ---> Since about one-fifth (20%) of the air is oxygen,
it is reasonable to assume that the iron has
combined with the oxygen during rusting.