Narayana e-techno school

Hulimavu , bannerghatta road,

BANGALORE - 560076
AFFILIATION CODE: 830939
SCHOOL CODE: 45870
SUBJECT CODE: 043

CHEMISTRY PROJECT TITLE:

The Effect of Metal Coupling on

Rusting of Iron

PROJECT DONE BY
NAME: T Sudhasathvik Reddy
ROLL NO:
CLASS : XII
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that T Sudhasathvik Reddy
CHEMISTRY student of class XII of NARAYANA E-
TECHNO SCHOOL, HULIMAVU, BANNERGHATTA
ROAD , BANGALORE... has successfully completed the
investigatory project entitled:

" The Effect of Metal Coupling on Rusting of Iron "

He/she has submitted the above mentioned under the guidance

of Mr.B NAVIL KUMAR during the year 2022-23 in partial
fulfilment of CHEMISTRY practical examination conducted
under AISSCE (All India Senior School Certificate
Examination by CBSE)

Date:
Place:

Signature Signature Signature

of Principal of Subject Teacher of Examiner

Institute Stamp
Most of us know rust as a reddish-brown flaky coat on metal and think nothing more of it,
however rust is the term commonly used for the corrosion and oxidation of iron and its
alloys, such as steel. Technically rust is Hydrated Iron (III) Oxide, also known as iron oxide
(Fe²O³), as it is caused when iron reacts with oxygen and water - this reaction is known as
oxidizing. If a piece of iron is left long enough, with exposure to water and oxygen, its rusting
is inevitable - it could take days, weeks, months, or even years depending of the intensity of
its exposure, however it will rust if it is not protected in any way. Rust is very common, as
iron reacts easily with oxygen.

Preventing corrosion has become a lucrative industry. No one wants to drive

in a rusted car if they can help it. But corrosion is more than just a cosmetic
concern. Corrosion can be dangerous if it affects infrastructure such as
buildings, bridges, sewage pipes, the water supply, ships, and other vessels.
Corrosion can cause infrastructure to weaken, putting lives at risk. So,
while corrosion prevention may be costly, it certainly is necessary.

A high-profile crisis with drinking water in Flint, Michigan, began in 2014 and
serves as an example of how corrosion can have devastating effects on people's
lives. The Water Research Centre offers some warning signs that your water
might have been impacted by corrosion on some level. If you find you need to
run your water for a brief period of time to eliminate discoloration or a bitter
taste, there's probably an issue with corrosion in your pipes. Blue-green stains
in basins or along the joints of copper piping are another sign of possible
corrosion.

The reaction of the rusting of iron involves an increase in the oxidation state of iron,
accompanied by a loss of electrons. Rust is mostly made up of two different oxides of iron
that vary in the oxidation state of the iron atom. These oxides are:

1. Iron (II) oxide or ferrous oxide. The oxidation state of iron in this compound is +2 and its
chemical formula is Fego.
2. Iron(III) oxide or ferric oxide, where the iron atom exhibits an oxidation state of +3. The
chemical formula of this compound is Fe2O3.

Oxygen is a very good oxidizing agent whereas iron is a reducing agent. Therefore, the iron atom
readily gives up electrons when exposed to oxygen. The chemical reaction is given by:
Fe → Fe2+ + 2e–
The oxidation state of iron is further increased by the oxygen atom when water is present.
4Fe2+ + O2 → 4Fe3+ + 2O2-
Now, the following acid-base reactions occur between the iron cations and the water molecules.
Fe2+ + 2H2O ⇌ Fe(OH)2 + 2H+
Fe3+ + 3H2O ⇌ Fe(OH)3 + 3H+
The hydroxides of iron are also formed from the direct reaction between the iron cations and
hydroxide ions.
O2 + H2O + 4e– → 4OH–
Fe2+ + 2OH– → Fe(OH)2
Fe3+ + 3OH– → Fe(OH)3
The resulting hydroxides of iron now undergo dehydration to yield the iron oxides that constitute
rust. This process involves many chemical reactions, some of which are listed below.

1. Fe(OH)2 ⇌ FeO + H2O

2. 4Fe(OH)2 + O2 + xH2O → 2Fe2O3.(x+4)H2O
3. Fe(OH)3 ⇌ FeO(OH) + H2O
4. 2FeO(OH) ⇌ Fe2O3 + H2O

One similarity between all the chemical reactions listed above is that all of them are dependent on
the presence of water and oxygen. Therefore, the rusting of iron can be controlled by limiting the
amount of oxygen and water surrounding the metal.
In short, the best way to prevent rust is to prevent moisture from reaching the metal,
or by using a material that corrodes more slowly. The following are the best ways to
prevent rust. We’ll discuss how to prevent rust using each strategy in more detail
later in the post.

1. Use an Alloy: The use of alloys, like stainless steel, is one of the most
common ways to prevent rust, or slow it down. Stainless steel isn’t suitable or
economical for all applications, but it will work for many.

2. Apply Oil: A coating of oil will help to prevent rust or slow it down, since it
inhibits moisture from reaching the iron in the metal. However, an oily
surface might be problematic for some tools or machines and poses
environmental and human health concerns.

3. Apply a Dry Coating: Special rust preventative products dry with no residue
and form a protective barrier over metal parts and equipment. These are
effective for products in use, in shipping, storage and more.

4. Paint the Metal: A good quality paint will slow down rusting by preventing
moisture from reaching the metal.

5. Store Properly: Store metal parts or products in a low-moisture area, or

inside a temperature and humidity-controlled environment to significantly
slow down rust. Use of desiccant drying agents in this storage are also helpful.

6. Galvanize: Galvanizing coats iron or steel in zinc to protect from rust. Zinc
corrodes at a much slower rate than iron or steel, so it’s highly effective for
slowing rust.

7. Blueing: This process creates a layer of magnetite over the metal to prevent
rust. The metal must be regularly oiled to maintain rust resistance, and it will
turn blue or black in the process.

8. Powder Coating: A layer of acrylic, vinyl, epoxy or other substances will

prevent moisture from reaching the metal, thereby preventing rust.

9. VCI Packaging: Vapor Corrosion Inhibitors (VCI) are a type of chemical

compound that when infused into various packaging materials, protect metals
by emitting rust eradicating vapors into an enclosed air space to prevent
corrosion on a metal surface.
Not all metals contain iron, but they can rust or tarnish in other
oxidizing reactions. To prevent oxidation and breakdown of metal
products, such as handrails, tanks, appliances, roofing, or siding, you can
choose metals that are “rust-proof” or, more accurately, “corrosion-
proof.” Four basic types of metals fall into this category:

 Stainless steel
 Aluminium metal
 Copper, br0nze or brass
 Galvanized steel

Galvanization (or galvanizing as it is most commonly called in that

industry) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating
to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip
galvanizing, in which parts are submerged in a bath of molten zinc.
Protective action
Galvanising protects the underlying iron or steel in the following main
ways:

 The zinc coating, when intact, prevents corrosive substances from

reaching the underlying steel or iron.
 The zinc serves as a sacrificial anode so that even if the coating
is scratched, the exposed steel will still be protected by the
remaining zinc.
 The zinc protects iron by corroding first. For better results,
application of chromatesover zinc is also seen as an industrial
trend.
Cathodic protection is a method for preventing corrosion on submerged
and underground metallic structures.

Cathodic protection is commonly

used to protect numerous structures against corrosion, such as
ships, offshore floaters, subsea equipment, harbours, pipelines,
tanks; basically, all submerged or buried metal structures.
Corrosion resistant paint is essentially a collective name for various types
of coatings that protect a substrate from corrosion. A corrosion
resistant coating can do more than just protect from
corrosion, and its multi-functional nature means that it is possible to
find the exact coating you require. Corrosion is caused by a chemical
reaction between a metal and its environment (water or other fluids),
typically producing an oxide or a salt of the original metal. The long and
the short of it is the metal is weakened, as is the structure it
creates. Corrosion protection coatings prevent direct contact
between water/fluids and the steel substrate and therefore
prevent the corrosion process.
In general corrosion resistant paint is suitable for almost any type of
steel and metal, and has the following 5 benefits:
1. Water / fluid repellent or completely waterproof
2. Resistant to microorganisms such as fungi and algae
3. Weather protection against acid rain, UV radiation etc.
4. Chemical resistance, salt spray and other corrosive
substances
5. Additional properties depending on the type of corrosion
resistant paint you opt for: anti fouling, non slip or self
cleaning etc.
India loses around 5-7 per cent of its Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) every year due to corrosion.
The effects of corrosion in our daily lives are both direct,
in that corrosion affects the useful service lives of our
possessions, and indirect, in that producers and
suppliers of goods and services incur corrosion costs,
which they pass on to consumers. At home, corrosion is
readily recognized on automobile body panels, charcoal
grills, outdoor furniture, and metal tools. Preventative
maintenance such as painting protects such items from
corrosion. A principal reason to replace automobile
radiator coolant every 12 to 18 months is to replenish the
corrosion inhibitor that controls corrosion of the cooling
system. Corrosion protection is built into all major
household appliances such as water heaters, furnaces,
ranges, washers, and dryers
AIM:

To study of the effect of metal coupling on the rate of

corrosions.

Materials required:
Apparatus: Beakers-15, Iron sheets of 2# size-6, Aluminium
rods of 2# size-6, Brass rods of 2# size-6, Zinc sheets of 2# size-
6, Measuring cylinders, Chemical Balance, Weight Box.

Chemicals: Hydrochloric acid and Sodium hydroxide.

THEORY:

• Corrosion is a serious problem of some metals like iron, zinc,

aluminium and alloys like brass which are commonly used in day-
to-day life.
• Apart from reducing the life of articles made up of these metals or
alloys the chemical substances formed out of corrosion have serious
public health problems.
• Replacement of machines or their parts and many other articles in
industrial and public dealing lead to huge expenditure
. • Hence, how to reduce or avoid corrosion of articles made up of
metals or alloys has been a major subject of study in the field of
chemistry and electro-chemistry.
PROCEDURE:

(i)Mix 9 ml. of conc. HCl with 241 ml. of water to form

250 ml. of solution.
(ii) Take this solution in seven different beakers.
(iii) Mark each beaker serially from 1 to 7.
(iv) Take the weights of three iron sheets, three
aluminium rods, three brass rods and three zinc sheets.
v) Now keep iron sheets, aluminium rods, zinc sheets
and brass rod in separate beakers.
vi) Then take iron + brass, iron + aluminium, iron +
zinc, aluminium + zinc and brass + zinc and keep them
in different beakers.
(vii) Allow the reactions to occur for 24 hours.
(viii) Note the maximum and minimum temperatures.
(ix) Now at the end of reaction take out the metals and
keep them in sun for sometime so that they get dried up
quickly
(x) Take the weights of each specimen and note the
difference.
(xi) Similarly repeat 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8 steps in a basic
solution. Observations:
OBSERVATION:
Results:

1. The rate of corrosion observed in acidic medium or

the mass consumed during the corrosion is in the
decreasing order from brass to aluminum. Brass has the
highest
corrosion rate while aluminium has the least corrosion
rate. Brass > Iron > Zinc > Aluminium
2. When coupling of these metals was done each couple
showed some difference in their corrosion with respect
to each metal kept alone. Iron + Aluminium couple has
the highest rate of corrosion while iron +Zinc couple has
the lowest rate of corrosion. Rate of corrosion of each
couple is in the order of Iron + Aluminium > Brass +
Zinc> Iron + Zinc

3. Rate of corrosion in basic medium is in the decreasing

order from Brass to Aluminium. The order of rate of
corrosion is as below: Brass > Zinc >Iron > Aluminium
4. When these metals were coupled the rate of corrosion
was in the decreasing order from Brass+ Aluminium >
Brass + Zinc > Iron + Aluminium
5. Temperature and time of reaction were constant i.e.;
temperature was 21° C and time of reaction was 24
hours.
Links:
(i) https://www.meritnation.com/icse-class-6/77
(ii) https://byjus.com/
(iii) https://www.vedantu.com