Experiment No.

17
CORROSION OF IRON EXPERIMENT

Group No: 5 Date Performed: September 4, 2019

Course/Year/Section: BSME1-02 Date Submitted: September 9, 2019
Members: Ebajo, John Paul Lab Instructor: Dr. Josephine Guinto
Espelita, Jasfer
Ferrer, Frank Kenneth Reyben
Garcia, Keanu
Guban, Alison
Inocencio, Ramon

Objectives:
Observe the corrosion of iron and investigate conditions related to corrosion.

Guided Questions:
1. What type of reaction is the rusting of iron?
Answer: The rusting of iron is an example of corrosion which is considered to be an
oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction.
2. Two half reactions occur during the formation of rust:
a. 2Fe + O2 + H2O → 2Fe(OH)2
b. Fe(OH)2 + O2 → 2Fe2O3H2O + 2H2O
Which species is oxidized and which is reduced?
Answer: In two half reaction (a and b), the oxidized species is iron and the reduced
species is oxygen.
a. 2Fe  2Fe2+ + 4e- Eº= 0.44 V (Anode)
O2 + 2H2O + 4e-  4OH- Eº= 0.41 V (Cathode)
2Fe + O2 + 2H2O  2Fe(OH)2
b. 4Fe2+ → 4Fe3+ + 4e- E° = -0.77 V (Anode)
4e- + 4H+ + O2 → 2H2O E° = 0.815 V (Cathode)
4Fe2+ + 4H++ O2 → 4Fe3+ + 2H2O
 4Fe(OH)2 + O2  2Fe2O3H2O + 2 H2O

3. Define the term “sacrificial metal”?

Answer: Sacrificial metal is a metal that is more easily oxidized. Fe is above on the
activity series (Zn, Al, Mg, Na, Ca, K). It is highly active metals that are used to prevent
a less active material surface from corroding.

4. Why is iron rust considered destructive and copper rust is not, but beneficial and
attractive? (What is the difference in the properties of each?)
Answer: Iron rust does not bond to the base metal iron and is slightly water soluble.
Therefore, iron rust will rub off the metal and expose more metal to oxidation. Copper
rust adheres to the copper metal and protects the copper from other oxidation.

Observations and Data

Each beaker (named as B1 and B2) has two nails which are submerged into the agar
solution. B1 contains two nails, one bent iron nail and one straight iron nail while the B2
contains two nails, one is tightly wrapped with a copper wire and the other one is
wrapped with mossy zinc. The following day, the two nails in B1 has a red-brown
colored stuff which might probably shows that the iron nails had undergone corrosion or
simply the rusting of iron. However, the B2 showed a blue and pink clouds. The blue and
pink clouds are the copper and zinc reacting with the M K3Fe(CN)6 (potassium
hexacyanoferrate III) and phenolphthalein in the agar solution.

LABORATORY REPORT

Introduction
The corrosion of iron is an oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction in which one
product gains electrons (reduction) and other losses electrons (oxidation). In this
experiment, there are two half reaction which are : 2Fe + O2 + H2O  2Fe(OH)2 and
Fe(OH)2 + O2  2Fe2O3H2O + 2H2O. In both half reaction, the oxidized species is iron
and the reduced species is oxygen. In this experiment, both iron and zinc acted as
sacrificial metals, partially protecting iron from its corrosion. There were two separate
beakers (named as B1 and B2), one with two iron nails alone, and the other with copper
and zinc as well, and both beaker contained an agar solution. Two indicators were
integrated in the agar solution, M K3Fe(CN)6 (potassium hexacyanoferrate III) and
phenolphthalein solution, and their purpose was to enhance the colors from copper and
zinc.

Results

AFTER

B1

Figure 1: B1 with two iron nails

Iron nails has a red-brown colored stuff which might probably shows
that the iron nails had undergone corrosion or simply the rusting of iron.

B2

B2

Figure 2: B2 with two iron nails wrapped with copper and zinc
The clouds of pink and blue are the zinc and copper reacting with the
potassium hexacyanoferrate III (blue) and phenolphthalein solution (pink) in the
 agar solution.

Conclusion
The pink and blue clouds around the nail is the zinc and copper reacting with M
K3Fe(CN)6 (potassium hexacyanoferrate III) and phenolphthalein solution. The nails
surrounded by copper wire and mossy zinc have taken less damage than the nails without
sacrificial metals. The blue sites in B1 are result of corroded iron reacting with the
solutions in agar. If the nail were stressed, it would continue to corrode the iron, wearing
it further down. In B2, the nai wrapped with copper wire was surrounded by the blue
substance while the nail with mossy zinc was surrounded by pink and white substance,
both residue of rusted metal. Aside from zinc and copper, other sacrificial metals are
cesium, calcium, and strontium.
The experiment produced the expected results because it showed how the sacrificial
metals helped to protect the iron underneath. To improve the experiment, more precise
measurements could be taken so that the result (quantitative and qualitative) could be
considered as certain and reliable.