Corrosion

Corrosion I

 Investigating Rusting:

Aim: To investing the factors that cause rusting in iron. 

Equipment:

• Four test tubes
• Test tube rack
• Bung
• Four iron nails
• Boiled water
• Tap water
• Salty water
• Cooking Oil
• Calcium Chloride

 Method: 

1. Label four test tubes and place in a test tube rack.
2. Test tube contents:

• B = Iron nail and tap water
• C = Iron nail and salty water
• D = Iron nail, boiled water and oil.
• E = Iron nail and calcium chloride sealed with a bung.

      3. Leave the test tubes undisturbed for at least three days.

Test Tube	Conditions present or absent	Observations
E	Iron nail and calcium chloride sealed with a bung	Test tube E with calcium chloride and bung showed no visible corrosion. Iron oxide didn't form to an extent in which is visible to the naked eye. It is the only test tube that showed no corrosion.
B	Iron nail and tap water	Iron nail and tap water showed the worse reaction. It was the most corroded out of all the test tubes that were experimented with. The iron oxide formed at the bottom of the test tube with a dark hue of orange.
C	Iron nail and salty water	The salty water test tube was ever so slightly better with corrosion. Although a similar hue of orange was seen; dark iron oxide wasn't too visible.
D	Iron nail, boiled water and oil.	The rusting was moderate. It wasn't the extent that the salty and tap water was. It was similar to the reaction of the zinc pellet. It was akin to its orange hue but was more yellow.

Hypothesis: The test tubes labelled A to C are expected to rust more than the later tubes. With C having significant visual effects rather than D to H. Though all of the nails may get rust the previously mentioned would gain more and will be more visible.

Corrosion II

Preventing Rusting:

Aim: To investigate a number of techniques that may prevent rusting.

Equipment:

• Four test tubes
• Test tube rack
• Bung
• Four iron nails
• Boiled water
• Tap water
• Vaseline gel
• Nail
• Polish or paint
• Zinc pellets or magnesium ribbon

1. Label four test tubes and place in a test tube rack.
2. Fill all test tubes with equal volumes of water - enough to cover the nails.
3. Test tube contents:

• A = Iron nail
• F = Iron nail, water and vaseline
• G = Iron nail and nail polish
• H = Iron nail, zinc and water

      4. Leave the test tubes undisturbed for at least three days.

Test tube	Conditions present or absent	Observations
A	Iron nail	The iron nail rusted but only lightly, visible yet faint.
F	Iron nail, water and vaseline	Test tube F showed moderate rusting, covered by the vaseline--rusting was shown in the areas in which were more present in the water.
G	Iron nail and nail polish	G--showed significant rusting, the paint was eaten away and the iron corroded-- to an extent in which iron oxide coloured the tube with a hue of orange.
H	Iron nail, zinc and water	The rusting of the test tube H was only slightly rusted. The zinc pellet affected the rusting of the iron by a good margin.