SUBMITTED TO: ANKITA SHARMA

RUSTING OF IRON

What is corrosion ?
Corrosion

Corrosion is the formation of undesirable metallic compounds at the

surface of pure metals or alloys.

The term corrosion was once limited to the destruction, loss or

wearing away of a metal due to chemical action.

Very few metals are found pure in nature.

Most metals are very reactive and will react with other substances
they come in contact with in their environment especially the
atmosphere, water and moist solids. Oxygen, water, carbon dioxide,
ions in solution and hydrogen sulpide are the main substances
involved in corrosion.

Examples of Corrosion

1.Rusting is the corrosion of iron. The iron is converted to hydrated

iron oxide due to its reaction with oxygen and water. This rust is a
loose brown-orange insoluble solid.
2.Tarnishing of silver due to the formation of black silver sulphide
due to the reaction with hydrogen sulphide.
3.The formation of the green deposit called verdigris (copper
carbonate) on copper and bronze.

CAUSES OF RUSTING
Iron and its allied product, steel are important in the
development of many countries. Iron ore, the raw material
for the manufacture of iron is found as mineral deposit in
some countries of the world. Here the teacher should guide
the students to search and study the iron mineral deposits in
the world.
When metals are exposed to the atmosphere over a long
period, they change their appearance. Some get duller and
less bright while some like iron develop a coating over its
surface. The words tarnish and rust are then applied. Iron is
known to rust while a metal like aluminium tarnishes. This
lesson should help to explain the following:

What is iron rust?

How is iron rust formed?
Is iron rust useful?
How can iron rust be prevented?
This lesson offers good opportunity for the students to carry
out simple experiments on rusting with simple materials.
This study of rusting will involve some bit of chemistry. Iron
rust is a compound of iron. It is formed when iron reacts
with the oxygen of the air in the presence of moisture
(water) to form a brown substance known as iron oxide. The
process is a chemical reaction, which takes place over a
period of time. It should be noted that oxygen and water are
necessarily present for iron to rust.
Iron + oxygen + water ====== Iron rust.

The conditions for iron to rust can then be easily deduced.

The rusting of iron is at times referred to as slow burning.
Why?
Rusting of iron affects the quality of the iron. It is like the
decay of the iron. Rusting costs the community a great deal
of money. It has to be prevented otherwise articles made of
iron will decay away. The students should then be guided to
search for cases of iron rusting in their environment. What
materials rust and where are they found. An abandoned car
on the road side over a long time get covered with a brown
substance-rust. The students should explain this. That
discussion can lead to the observation of old brownish iron
roofs found in many villages and towns.

Iron and steel rust when they come into contact with
water and oxygen. They rust faster in salty water or acid
rain. Aluminium, on the other hand, does not corrode
easily, because its surface is protected by a layer of
aluminium oxide.
Steel and aluminium have advantages and disadvantages
when used to make cars, which are recycled to re-use
valuable materials and cut down on waste.

Experiment For Show Necessary Condition For Rusting

Iron and steel rust when they come into contact with water and
oxygen. Both water and oxygen are needed for rusting to occur. In
the experiment below, the nail does not rust when air or water is not
present. Remember that 21 per cent of the air is oxygen.

Calcium chloride absorbs water in the right-hand test tube

Rusting is an oxidation reaction. The iron reacts with water

and oxygen to formhydrated iron(III) oxide, which we see as
rust. This is the word equation for the reaction:
iron + water + oxygen

hydrated iron(III) oxide

Salt dissolved in water does not cause rusting, but it does

speed it up, as does acid rain.

EFFECTS OF RUSTING
1.ON HUMAN BODY
Many of us do not apprehend of the effects that rust can obtain on
metals. As in harmful effects, I'm not talking of the ordinary effects
it can cause to us, people. We always get on the fact that once we
cut ourselves with rusty objects we tend to go to the doctor and get
a medication for the vaccine. All we did is getting paranoid of the
fact that once the rust entered our bloodstream, it become toxic.
Let's take a review first of how body reacts with rust...
In order that rust should be formed iron must go into solution and
hydrogen must be given off in the presence of oxygen or certain
oxidizing agents. This presumes electrolytic action, as every iron ion
that appears at a certain spot demands the disappearance of a
hydrogen ion at another, with a consequent formation of gaseous
hydrogen. The gaseous hydrogen is rarely visible in the process of
rusting, owing to the rather high solubility and great diffusive power
of this element. Substances which increase the concentration of
hydrogen ions, such as acids and acid salts, stimulate corrosion,
while substances which increase the concentration of hydroxyl ions
inhibit it.
The body is an amazing instrument that has built in systems to
balance free radicals. The system is not perfect and the balance can
be disrupted. Once that balance is lost and more free rust are
produced than the body can balance, the body becomes damaged. A
cascade begins much like a row of dominos that falls. The constant

bombardment by free radicals leads to cell damage. Cell damage

builds to tissue damage and leads throughout to organ damage.
Damage from rust is continuous and constant. When a rust interacts
with a cell membrane, it damage the cell. Let's face the fact that the
human body is composed of billions and billions of cells that are
being attacked by billions of free radicals.

2.ON STEEL
The corrosion of steel reinforcement inside a concrete structure is
undesirable in the following ways:
(i) The presence of rust impairs the bond strength of deformed
reinforcement because corrosion occurs at the raised ribs and fills
the gap between ribs, thus evening out the original deformed shape.
In essence, the bond between concrete and deformed bars
originates from the mechanical lock between the raised ribs and
concrete. The reduction of mechanical locks by corrosion results in
the decline in bond strength with concrete.
(ii) The presence of corrosion reduces the effective cross sectional
area of the steel reinforcement. Hence, the available tensile capacity
of steel reinforcement is reduced by a considerable reduction in the
cross sectional area.
(iii) The corrosion products occupy about 3 times the original
volume of steel from which it is formed. Such drastic increase in
volume generates significant bursting forces in the vicinity of steel
reinforcement. Consequently, cracks are formed along the steel
reinforcement when the tensile strength of concrete is exceeded.

PREVENTION OF RUSTIG
OF IRON
1. Barrier protection:
In this method, a barrier film is introduced between iron
and atmospheric oxygen and moisture. Barrier protection
can be achieved by one of the following ways:
1. By painting the surface
2. By coating the surface with a thin film of oil or grease.
3. By electroplating iron with some non-corrosive metal
such as nickel, chromium, copper, etc.
2. Sacrificial protection:
In this method, surface of iron is covered with layer of
more active metal like zinc. This active metal loses
electrons (undergoes oxidation) in preference to iron and
hence, prevents the rusting of iron.
Zinc metal is generally used for protecting iron and the
process is called galvanization. Galvanized iron sheets
maintain their shine due to the formation of a thin
protective layer of basic zinc carbonate, ZnCO 3, Zn

(OH) 2 due to the reaction between zinc, oxygen, CO 2 and

moisture in air.
Zinc, magnesium and aluminum powder dissolved in paints
can also be applied as protective layers. The well-known
aluminum paint contains aluminum powder suspended in
varnish.
3. Use of anti-rust solutions:
The alkaline phosphate and alkaline chromate solutions
act as anti-rust solutions. When iron articles are dipped
into a boiling and strongly alkaline solution of sodium
phosphate, a protective insoluble film of iron phosphate is
formed on them. This film protects the article from rusting.

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY

This is to certify that Harshit a student of class

XII has successfully completed the research
project on the topic

RUSTING OF IRON
under the guidance of

Miss Ankita Sharma (Subject Teacher).

This project is absolutely genuine and does not
indulge in plagiarism of any kind.

The references taken in making this project have

been declared at the end of this report.

Signature (Subject Teacher)

Signature (Examiner)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I feel proud to present my Investigatory project in
Chemistry on the topic RUSTING OF IRON which aims
at

EXPLAIN

PROCESS OF

RUSTING

This

project

wouldnt have been feasible without the proper and

rigorous guidance of my Chemistry teacher Miss Ankita
Sharma who guided me throughout this project in every
possible way. An investigatory project involves various
difficult lab experiments which have to be carried out by
the student to obtain the observations and conclude the
report on a meaningful note. These experiments are very
critical and in the case of
failure, may result in disastrous consequences. Thereby, I
would like to thank Miss Ankita for guiding me on a step

by step basis and ensuring that I completed all my

experiments with ease.
Rigorous hard work has been put in this project to ensure
that it proves to be the best. I hope that this project will
prove to be a breeding ground for the next generation of
students and will guide them in every possible way.