Rusting Investigation

Class: 207

Effect of pH level on rusting

Introduction

My research question is “Does the pH level (acid/alkali) affect the rate of corrosion of a steel screw. The topic of investigation is Chemistry and the subtopics are chemical reactions, pH levels and corrosion.

There have been researches that solutions with a lower pH level corrode metal faster than solutions with a higher pH. There are different factors which will affect the rate of corrosion. Some of the factors are temperature and the change in pH level.

Several studies are performed so as to find out what kind of solutions affect the rate of corrosion. This experiment can be linked to our daily lives. Corrosion, also known as rusting, causes many negative impacts. Some of them

Most of the time, the oxide coat is either dark brown or red. Steel in the presence of hydrogen will form oxides. The result of this process is rust formed.

Hence, through this experiment, I hope to be able to identify what kind of solutions will affect the corrosion rate and apply it to my daily life. For example, acid rain causes metal items such as a bicycle to rust easily. Therefore, we can educate ourselves and try to avoid such situations like this.

and experimental design MUST be described. Link must be made btwn the lit review and

There was no effervescence in this setup.

The colour was darker than what it was originally. It felt like room temperature. The bleach that had a pH level of 12 corroded at a much slower rate compared to the nitric acid.

The metal screw was ‘eaten up’ by the nitric acid. Effervescence was still observed even after 24 hours. The metal screw was covered completely by an oxide coat (rust). It felt warmer than room temperature. The nitric acid that had a pH level of 1 was able to rust the metal screw more quickly and effectively than the bleach.

Analysis and Discussion

As per my research question, “How does the pH level affect the corrosion rate of metal screw?” my experiment had the answers. From the experiment’s results, solutions with lower pH levels, strong acids, cause more effective corrosion than solutions with increasing pH levels. Neutral pH levels do not affect the metal screw and does not cause corrosion in a day (24 hours). However, I feel that a metal screw placed in distilled water for a long period of time will be able to cause