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Chemistry 3

The document discusses rusting, the corrosion of iron when exposed to air and moisture, resulting in the formation of rust (hydrated ferric oxide). It outlines factors influencing rusting, the electrochemical mechanism behind it, and methods for prevention, such as barrier methods and galvanization. An experiment is described to investigate the effect of metal coupling on rusting, demonstrating that coupling iron with more electropositive metals like zinc or magnesium prevents rusting, while coupling with less electropositive metals like copper facilitates it.

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6 views7 pages

Chemistry 3

The document discusses rusting, the corrosion of iron when exposed to air and moisture, resulting in the formation of rust (hydrated ferric oxide). It outlines factors influencing rusting, the electrochemical mechanism behind it, and methods for prevention, such as barrier methods and galvanization. An experiment is described to investigate the effect of metal coupling on rusting, demonstrating that coupling iron with more electropositive metals like zinc or magnesium prevents rusting, while coupling with less electropositive metals like copper facilitates it.

Uploaded by

sumerimeena85
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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RUSTING

 Iron is a metal in the group 10 of the periodic table. It is the most


abundant and useful metal pf this group. This metal reacts with the
gases present in the environment (oxygen, carbon dioxide, and
water) and is formed as oxides. This process of destruction of the
metal, as we said before, is called corrosion. This process of iron is
called rusting.
 Rusting of iron is the corrosion of the iron object when exposed to
air and moisture. It is called so due to the formation of rust, which is
reddish brown in color and is hydrated ferric oxide (Fe2O3. xH2O)

DEPENDENCE OF RUSTING OF IRON

It depends on the following factors:-


 Impurities in iron – pure iron does not rust in vacuum or dry air.
 Air and moisture – iron does not rust in the absence of air or
moisture.
 Electrolytes in water enhance rusting.
 Acids and acid forming gases like CO₂ and SO₂ leads to rapid rusting.
 Presence of rust leads to more rusting by autocatalysis.
MECHANISM OF RUSTING
 According to the electrochemical theory of rusting the impure iron
surface behaves like small electrochemical cell in the presence of
water containing dissolved oxygen or carbon dioxide. In this cell
pure iron acts as anode and impure iron surface acts as cathode
where reduction takes place.
At the anode, iron oxidize into Fe²⁺ and the 2e⁻s that are
produced, are used by the cathode for reduction.
Anode : 2Fe  2Fe²⁺ + 4e⁻
Cathode : O + 4H + 4e⁻  2H₂O
Overall reaction : 2Fe + O₂ + 4H⁺  2Fe²⁺ + 2H₂O
 Fe²⁺ ions move through the water on the surface of the iron sheet.
Presence of electrolytes (e.g., sodium chloride, SO₂ , CO₂ , etc.) in
water helps in carrying move current through the local cell on the
surface of iron. The increased flow of current enhanced the rate of
corrosion. The Fe²⁺ ions are further oxidized by atmospheric oxygen
to Fe³⁺, and form hydrated iron(III) oxide, expressed as Fe2O3. xH2O.
The hydrated ferric oxide is called rust.
4Fe²⁺ + O₂ + 4H₂O  2Fe₂O₃ + 8H⁺
Fe₂O₃ + xH₂O  Fe₂O₃.xH₂O
 H⁺ Ions produced in the above reaction help further in rusting of
iron. Impurities present in iron also enhance rusting by setting a
number of localized cells. Pure iron does not rust.
The total Eo cell is 1.67 V which is positive. Therefore the reaction is
feasible. This is the reason of the rusting of iron in the presence of air
and moisture. If one of the components is missing, rusting does not
take place.
PREVENTION FOR RUSTING
Rusting can be prevented in many ways:-
1.Barrier Method:- In this method a barrier film is introduced between
the iron and the atmosphere.

2.Galvinization:- The coating of Iron with Zinc, Zinc being the more
reactive metal reacts with air and loses electrons, thus protecting the
iron object.

3.Use of antivirus solution:- like alkaline sodium phosphates, tannic


acid and potassium chromates.

4.Sacrficial Protection:- It provides a sacrificial electrode of another


metal, like Mg or Zn which corrodes itself but save the object.

EXPERIMENT FOR EFFECT OF METAL COUPLING


AIM:- To investigate the effect of metal coupling on rusting.
APPARATUS REQUIRED
o Two Petri dishes
o Four test-tube
o Four iron nails
o Beaker
o Sand paper
o Wire gauge
o Gelatin
o Copper, Zinc and Magnesium
o strips
o Potassium ferricyanide solutions
o Phenolphthalein

THEORY
Metal coupling affects the rusting of iron. If the nail is coupled with a
wire electropositive metal like zinc, magnesium or aluminium rusting is
prevented but if no other hand, it is coupled with led electropositive
metals like copper, the rusting is facilitated.
PROCEDURE
1) At first we have to clean the surface of iron nails with the help of
sand paper.

2) After that we have to bind zinc strip around one nail, a clean copper
wire around the second and clean magnesium strip around the third
nail. Then to put all these three and a fourth nail in Petri dishes so that
they are not in contact with each other.
3) Preparation of the agar-agar solution:- Heat about 1 gram of agar-
agar in 100 ml of water taken in a beaker until the solution becomes
clear. Add about 1ml of 0.1 M potassium ferry cyanide solution and 1
ml of phenolphthalein solution and stir well the contents.

4) Then to fill the Petri dishes with hot agar agar solution in such a way
that only lower half of the nails are covered with the liquids.

5) Keep the covered Petri dishes for one day or so.

6) The liquids set 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 formation of potassium ferro-ferricyanide where pink patch is
due to the formation of hydroxyl ions which turns colorless
phenolphthalein to pink.
OBSERVATION
S.no. Metal Pair Color of the Nails rusts or
patch not
1 Fe-Zn Blue No

2 Fe-Mg Blue No

3 Fe-Cu Pink Yes

4 Iron Nail Pink Yes

RESULT
Two types of patches are observed around the rusted nail
o One is blue – due to the formation of potassium ferry cyanide.
o Pink patch is due to the formation of hydroxyl ions which turns
colorless phenolphthalein to pink.
It is clear from the observation that coupling of iron with more
electropositive metals such as Zinc and Magnesium resists corrosion
and rusting of iron.

Coupling of iron with less electropositive metals such as coper increase


rusting.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Subject Teacher
 Internet
 NCERT Chemistry Text Book
 Reference Book
 Other Sources

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