KENDRIYA VIDYALYA HINOO RANCHI-2 1ST SHIFT

AISSCE 2020

PROJECT ON -

TO STUDY THE EFFECT

OF METAL COUPLING
ON RUSTING OF IRON
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Project / Dissertation entitled, study effect of metal coupling

on rusting of iron is a bonafide work done by Master. RISHABH RAJ of class XII ‘B’ Session

2019-20 in partial fulfilment of AISSCE 2020 and has been carried out under my direct

supervision and guidance.

Name – AJIT KUMAR

PGT (Chemistry)
EXTERNAL EXAMINER INTERNAL EXAMINER
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my special thanks of
gratitude to my teacher AJIT KUMAR as well as
our principal Miss Salomi Toppo gave me the
golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on
the EFFRCT OF METAL COUPLING ON RUSTING OF
IRON , which also helped me in doing a lot of
Research and I came to know about so many new
things I am really thankful to them.
Secondly I would also like to thank my parents and
friends who helped me a lot in finalizing this
project within the limited time frame.

RISHABH RAJ
CLASS - XII
ROLLNO-
 CONTENT
1.INTRODUCTION
2.REACTIONS INVOLVED
3.PRECAUTIONS FOR RUSTING
4.EXPERIMENT
5.OBSERVATION
6.INTERFERENCE
7.CONCLUSION
1.INTRODUCTION
Rust is an iron oxide, usually red oxide formed by
the redox reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence
of water or air moisture. Several forms of rust are
distinguishable both visually and by spectroscopy, and
form under different circumstances. Rust consists of
hydrated iron(III) oxides Fe2O3·nH2O and iron(III) oxide-
hydroxide (FeO(OH), Fe(OH)3).
Given sufficient time, oxygen, and water, any iron mass
will eventually convert entirely to rust and disintegrate.
Surface rust is flaky and friable, and provides no
protection to the underlying iron, unlike the formation
of patina on copper surfaces. Rusting is the common
term for corrosion of iron and its alloys, such as steel.
Many other metals undergo equivalent corrosion, but
the resulting oxides are not commonly called rust.
Other forms of rust exist, like the result of reactions
between iron and chloride in an environment deprived
of oxygen – rebar used in underwater concretepillars is
an example – which generates green rust.
Oxidation of iron

When impure (cast) iron is in contact with water,

oxygen, other strong oxidants, or acids, it rusts. If salt is
present, for example in seawater or salt spray, the iron
tends to rust more quickly, as a result
of electrochemical reactions. Iron metal is relatively
unaffected by pure water or by dry oxygen. As with
other metals, like aluminium, a tightly adhering oxide
coating, a passivation layer, protects the bulk iron
from further oxidation. The conversion of the
passivating ferrous oxide layer to rust results from the
combined action of two agents, usually oxygen and
water.
Other degrading solutions are sulfur dioxide in water
and carbon dioxide in water. Under these corrosive
conditions, iron hydroxide species are formed. Unlike
ferrous oxides, the hydroxides do not adhere to the
bulk metal. As they form and flake off from the surface,
fresh iron is exposed, and the corrosion process
continues until either all of the iron is consumed or all
of the oxygen, water, carbon dioxide, or sulfur dioxide
in the system are removed or consumed.
When iron rusts, the oxides take up more volume than
the original metal; this expansion can generate
enormous forces, damaging structures made with iron.
2.REACTIONS INVOLVED
Associated reactions
The rusting of iron is an electrochemical process that
begins with the transfer of electrons from iron to
oxygen. The iron is the reducing agent (gives up
electrons) while the oxygen is the oxidising agent
(gains electrons). The rate of corrosion is affected
by water and accelerated by electrolytes, as illustrated
by the effects of road salt on the corrosion of
automobiles.
 The key reaction is the reduction of oxygen:

O2 + 4 e− + 2 H2O → 4 OH−

Because it forms hydroxide ions, this process is

strongly affected by the presence of acid. Indeed, the
corrosion of most metals by oxygen is accelerated at
low pH.
  Providing the electrons for the above reaction is
the oxidation of iron that may be described as
follows:

Fe → Fe2+ + 2 e−

 The following redox reactionalso occurs in the

presence of water and is crucial to the formation
of rust:

4 Fe2+ + O2 → 4 Fe3+ + 2O2−

 In addition, the following multistep acid-base

reactionsaffect the course of rust formation:

Fe2+ + 2H2O → Fe(OH)2 + 2H+

Fe3+ + 3H2O → Fe(OH)3 + 3H+

as do the following dehydration equilibria:

Fe(OH)2 → FeO + H2O

Fe(OH)3 → FeO(OH) + H2O

2FeO(OH) → Fe2O3 + H2O

From the above equations, it is also seen that the

corrosion products are dictated by the availability of
water and oxygen. With limited dissolved oxygen,
iron(II)-containing materials are favoured,
including FeO and
black lodestone or magnetite(Fe3O4). High oxygen
concentrations favour ferric materials with the nominal
formulae Fe(OH)3-xOx/2. The nature of rust changes
with time, reflecting the slow rates of the reactions of
solids.
Furthermore, these complex processes are affected by
the presence of other ions, such as Ca2+, both of which
serve as an electrolyte, and thus accelerate rust
formation, or combine with
the hydroxides and oxides of iron to precipitate a
variety of Ca-Fe-O-OHspecies.
Onset of rusting can also be detected in laboratory
with the use of ferroxyl indicator solution. The solution
detects both Fe2+ ions and hydroxyl ions. Formation of
Fe2+ ions and hydroxyl ions are indicated by blue and
pink patches respectively.
3.PRECAUTIONS FOR
RUSTING
Because of the widespread use and importance of iron and
steel products, the prevention or slowing of rust is the basis
of major economic activities in a number of specialized
technologies. A brief overview of methods is presented here.
Rust is permeable to air and water, therefore the interior
metallic iron beneath a rust layer continues to corrode. Rust
prevention thus requires coatings that preclude rust
formation.

1.Galvanization
Interior rust in old galvanized iron water pipes can result in
brown and black water.
Galvanization consists of an application on the object to be
protected of a layer of metallic zinc by either hot-dip
galvanizing or electroplating. Zinc is traditionally used
because it is cheap, adheres well to steel, and
provides cathodic protection to the steel surface in case of
damage of the zinc layer. In more corrosive environments
(such as salt water), cadmium plating is preferred.
Galvanization often fails at seams, holes, and joints where
there are gaps in the coating. In these cases, the coating still
provides some partial cathodic protection to iron, by acting
as a galvanic anode and corroding itself instead of the
underlying protected metal. The protective zinc layer is
consumed by this action, and thus galvanization provides
protection only for a limited period of time.
More modern coatings add aluminium to the coating as zinc-
alume; aluminium will migrate to cover scratches and thus
provide protection for a longer period. These approaches rely
on the aluminium and zinc oxides re-protecting a once-
scratched surface, rather than oxidizing as a sacrificial
anode as in traditional galvanized coatings. In some cases,
such as very aggressive environments or long design life,
both zinc and a coating are applied to provide enhanced
corrosion protection.
Typical galvanization of steel products which are to subject to
normal day to day weathering in an outside environment
consists of a hot dipped 85 µm zinc coating. Under normal
weather conditions, this will deteriorate at a rate of 1 µm per
year, giving approximately 85 years of protection.

2.Coatings and painting

Flaking paint, exposing a patch of surface rust on sheet metal
Rust formation can be controlled with coatings, such
as paint, lacquer, or varnish that isolate the iron from the
environment. Large structures with enclosed box sections,
such as ships and modern automobiles, often have a wax-
based product (technically a “slushing oil“) injected into
these sections. Such treatments usually also contain rust
inhibitors. Covering steel with concrete can provide some
protection to steel because of the alkaline pH environment at
the steel-concrete interface. However rusting of steel in
concrete can still be a problem, as expanding rust can
fracture or slowly “explode” concrete from within.
As a closely related example, iron bars were used to reinforce
stonework of the Parthenonin Athens, Greece, but caused
extensive damage by rusting, swelling, and shattering
themarble components of the building.
When only temporary protection is needed for storage or
transport, a thin layer of oil, grease, or a special mixture such
as Cosmoline can be applied to an iron surface. Such
treatments are extensively used when “mothballing” a steel
ship, automobile, or other equipment for long-term storage.
Special anti-seize lubricant mixtures are available, and are
applied to metallic threads and other precision machined
surfaces to protect them from rust. These compounds usually
contain grease mixed with copper, zinc, or aluminum
powder, and other proprietary ingredients.
4.EXPERIMENT
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENTS
1.Two petridishes
2.Four test-tubes
3.Four iron nails
4.Beaker
5.Sand paper
6.Wire gauge
7.Gelatin
8.Copper
9.Zinc
10.Magnesium strips
11.tassium ferricyanide solution
12.Phenolphthalein
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 second and clean magnesium strip
around the third nail.Put all these three and the fourth
nail in Petri dishes so that they are not in contact with
each other.
3. Preperation of Agar-Agar solution. Heat about three
gram of agar agar in 100 ml of water taken in a beaker
until solution becomes clear.At about 1 ml of 0.1 M
potassium 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 of 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] where as
pink patch is due to the formation of hydroxyl ions
which turns colourless phenolphthalein to pink.
5.OBSERVATION

S . No Metal pair Colour of Nail rusts

patch or not
1 Iron-zinc Pink No
2 Iron – magnesium Pink No
3 Iron -copper blue Yes

6.INFERENCE
1.Iron – Zinc Metal pair had pink colour patch and no Nail
Rusts

2 Iron – magnesium had given pink colour patch and no nail

rusts

3.Iron-coppper had given blue Colour patch and it given nail

rusts
7.CONCLUSION
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 withless
electropositive metals such as copper increases rusting.