YARA INTERNATIONAL

SCHOOL RIYADH

AISSCE – 2023-2024

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

CLASS XII

INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

Submitted by Salmaan Faris Submitted to Mr. Manoj

TOPIC OF THE PROJECT

 “STUDY
OF THE
EFFECT
OF METAL
COUPLING
CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
ON THE
(2023-2024)
RUSTING
OF IRON”
 CHEMISTRY PROJECT
CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project entitled “Study of the

effect of metal coupling on the rusting of iron” is a
bonafide work done by our team of Grade XII during the
academic year 2023-24.
Submitted for AISSCE Chemistry Practical examination
held on _________ at Yara International
school, Riyadh.

DATE :

PRINCIPAL External Examiner Internal Examiner

DECLARATION OF PLAGIARISM
Our team would like to expressly assure the fact that
this project was solely drafted, edited and produced
by us with the help of legal sources, the contents in
this report are entirely prepared by us with reference
to legitimate sources from the web and from the
official NCERT Chemistry textbook and Chemistry
lab Manual of Grade XII. And we would also like to
assure that no use of paid or unpaid third party
services such as ghostwriter, was used to make this
project. Thus we hereby declare that no plagiarism
was involved in the making of this project.
 ACKNOWLEDMENT

Our team warmly acknowledge the continuous

encouragement offered by our dear Principal Mrs. Asima
Saleem. We also extend our hearty thanks and gratitude to
the school management for providing us with enough
facilities and tools available in the campus which greatly
aided us in completing this report successfully.

We are highly indebted to our

Chemistry teacher – Mr. Manoj for his supervision,
support and for providing necessary information and
guidelines on this project. His constructive advice and
constant support has been responsible for the completion
of this project report.

We would also like to express our utmost love and

gratitude to our parents for their valuable suggestions and
support to carry out this project.

Last not but not least we thank all those who have helped
to complete this report directly or indirectly.
 PROJECT PLAN

Prepared by:

 S.AYSER SHAKEEL
 MOHAMMED ABSHAR
 SALMAAN FARIS

Class: XII
School: YARA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Name of the Project:STUDY OF THE EFFECT

OF METAL COUPLING ON THE RUSTING OF IRON

Teacher In Charge: MR.MANOJ

Date of Completion: 1 week

Date of Submission: / / 23
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
pg

08
01 Introduction
01
02
Methods of Prevention of Rust 09
08
03 Objective 10
09
04 Requirements 11
08
05 Figure 12
11

06 Procedure 13
08

07 Observations 14
08

08 Conclusion 15
08

09 Bibliography 16
08
 INTRODUCTION
Metals and alloys undergo rusting and corrosion . The process
by which some metals when exposed to atmospheric conditions
i.e., moist air ,carbon dioxide form undesirable compounds on
the surface 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 . Chemically , rust is a
hydrated ferric oxide Fe₂O3.nH₂O . Rusting may be explained
by an electrochemical mechanism . In the presence of moist air
containing dissolved oxygen or carbon dioxide. At anode of
cell , iron passes into solution as ferrous ions.
Fe  Fe2+ + 2e-
The electrons from the above reaction move towards the cathode
and form hydroxyl ions form
H2O + (O) +2e-  2OH-
Under the influence of dissolved oxygen the ferrous ions and
hydroxyl ions interact to form rust , i.e, hydrated ferric oxide.
2Fe2+ + H₂O + (O)  2Fe3+ + 2OH-
2Fe3+ + 60H-  Fe2O3.3H2O ( Rust )
If supply of oxygen is limited the corrosion product may be
black anhydrous magnetite, Fe3O4.
 METHODS OF
PREVENTION OF RUST

Some of the methods used to prevent corrosion and

rusting are :
1. Barrier Protection : In this method , a barrier film is
introduced between iron surface and atmospheric air . The
film is obtained by painting , varnishing etc.
2. Galvanization . The metallic iron is covered by a layer
of more active metal such as zinc. The active metal loses
electrons in preference to iron
Zn  Zn2+ + 2e-
Thus protecting iron from rusting and corrosion.
OBJECTIVE OF PROJECT

The aim of this project is to investigate the

effect of metal coupling on the rusting of
iron . Metal coupling affects the rusting of
iron . If the iron nail is coupled with a more
electro - positive metal like zinc ,
magnesium or aluminum rusting is but if on
the other hand , it is coupled a with less
electro - positive metal like copper , the
rusting is facilitated
 REQUIREMENTS

Two petridishes , four test - tubes , four iron

nails , beaker , sand paper , wire gauge .
Gelatin , copper , and magnesium strips ,
potassium ferricyanide solution ,
phenolphthalein
FIGURE
 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 secund and clean magnesium strip around
the third nail . Put all these three and a fourth nail in the
petridishes so that they are not in contact with each other .
3. Preparation of agar agar solution - Heat about 3 g of agar
agar in 100 ml of water taken in a beaker until solution
becomes clear. Add about 1 ml of 0.1 M postassium ferri -
cyanide solution , 1 ml of phenol-phthalein solution and
stir well the contents.
4. Fill the petridishes with hot agar agar solution in such a
way that only lower half the nails are covered with the
liquids.
5. Keep the covered petridishes 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 the
other pink. Blue patch is due to the reaction between
Ferrous ions and potassium ferricyanide to form potassium
ferro – ferricyanide, KFe [Fe(CN)6], whereas pink patch is
due to the formation of hydroxyl ions which turns
colourless phenolphthalein to pink .
 OBSERVATIONS

Colour of the Nail rusts

S. NO. Metal pair
patch or not

1. Iron - Zinc Pink No

2. Iron - Magnesium Blue Yes

3. Iron - Copper Pink No

4. Iron - Nail Blue Yes

 CONCLUSION

It is clear from observations that coupling of iron

with more electropositive metal such as metal such
as copper increases rusting . and magnesium resists
corrosion and rusting of iron . Coupling of iron with
less electropositive metal such as copper increases
rusting.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Class 12 Chemistry lab Manual

2. Class 12 Chemistry NCERT
textbook
3. slideshare.net
4. Image courtesy :
https://edu.rsc.org/exhibition-
chemistry/nailing-corrosion-
demonstrations/2000054.article ,
slideshare.net