Title: - Rusting

Problem Statement: -
The Logos Hope ship travels all around the world, passing through different types of water. The
ships which sailed over seawaters rusted faster than the ships which sailed over freshwater such
as rivers and lakes. The Logos management wondered why this would happen.
Plan and design an experiment to determine the conditions necessary for rusting.

Hypothesis: - Ships which were sailed on seawater rusted faster than those which were sailed on
freshwater.

Aim: - To investigate why the ships that were sailed on seawater developed rust faster than those
ships sailed on freshwater.

Apparatus/Materials: -
4 (250ml) Beakers
1 pair of Forceps
4 Nails
1 Marker
Tape
250ml of Saltwater
250ml of Freshwater
250ml of Distilled water
250ml of Tap water.

Expected Results: -
The saltwater solution should cause this rusting process to occur the fastest out of all the tests.
The freshwater will cause rusting to occur faster than tap water but slower than saltwater, this is
the first main observation within this experiment. Finally, the tap water should cause rusting to
occur faster than distilled water, but it will be slower than both fresh and saltwater. Another main
observation is that the distilled water will cause the rusting process to occur the slowest.

Table showing the tabulated results with the 4 nails that were placed in 4 different types of water
over a 4-day period.

Initial Mass Final Mass Change in mass

Tap water 3.05 3.02 0.03
Saltwater 4.80 4.75 0.05
Freshwater 4.97 4.94 0.03
Distilled water 5.59 5.58 0.01

Calculations: -
Tap water = Initial Mass – Final Mass
3.05 – 3.02 = 0.03
Saltwater = Initial Mass – Final Mass
4.80 – 4.75 = 0.05
Freshwater = Initial Mass – Final Mass
4.97 – 4.94 = 0.03
Distilled water = Initial Mass – Final Mass
5.59 – 5.58 = 0.01

Discussion: -
1.When iron and its alloy, steel, come into contact with oxygen and moisture the iron is oxidized
by the oxygen to form hydrated iron (3 put this as the roman numeral 3) oxide, otherwise known
as rust. Given sufficient time and exposure to oxygen and moisture, any iron object will
eventually oxidize entirely to rust and disintegrate.
2.There are several factors which can affect the rate of rusting / corrosion such as diffusion,
temperature, conductivity, type of ions, pH value and electrochemical potential.
3.There are also many ways in which we can prevent rusting from happening to metals, some are
to apply oils, apply a dry coating of some sort, paint the metal, and ensure proper storage of the
metals.

Sources of Errors: -
- Parallax error, to avoid this we must take measurements at eye level.
- When taking the Initial and Final mass ensure that the beaker was placed properly
therefore giving an accurate reading.

Precautions: -
- Ensure that the proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) was worn to avoid any sort
of harm/distress from this experiment.
- Use the forceps provided to interact with the nails within the beakers rather than your
hands/fingers.

Conclusion: - From this experiment it can be concluded that, rusting will occur faster in saltwater
because salt water, an electrolyte solution, contains more dissolved ions than fresh water,
meaning electrons can move more easily. Since rusting is all about the movement of electrons,
iron rusts more quickly in salt water than it does in fresh water.