3 EME Center, Bairagarh

Session:2018-19
Physics Investigatory Project on
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that KALPANA PATEL
of class XII ‘B’ has prepared the report
the ‘RUSTING OF IRON’. The report is
found worthy of acceptance as final
project for subject chemistry during
academic year 2018-19.

Internal Examiner External Examine

Mrs. Shardha Sinha
PGT (Chemistry)
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

When it comes to acknowledgement of gratitude to those whose

toiling hard work lots of sweat and of help allowed me to
celebrate the success of completion of work, one is filled with
revered feelings that suddenly words start loosing meaning,
sentences become feeble to hear the burden and dictionary
flounder to express the gratitude of these helping hands who
brought the present work on horizon.
Words betray my emotions of gratitude and respect that I feel
for my physics teacher Mrs.Shardha sinha , for his valuable
guidance, encouragement, constant supervision and criticism
without which this entire work would have never seen the light
of the day.
I deem it my proud privilege to express my deep sense of
gratitude to his for his valuable and authoritative guidance and
untiring and ever willing help throughout this venture.
Last but not the least I would like to thanks my parents and
friends for being so much supporting and encouraging me who
have brought my happiness beyond my expectations.

Kalpana Patel
XII ‘B’
 CONTENT
 Introduction
 Objective of project
 Aim
 Requirement
 Electrochemical Mechanism
 Procedure
 Observation
 Method of preventing corrosion
and rusting.
 Bibliography
 INTRODUCTION

Metal and alloys undergo rusting and

corrosion. The process by which some
metals when exposed to atmosphere
condition i.e. moist air, carbon dioxide form
undesirable compound on the surface is
known as corrosion. The compound formed
is usually oxides. Rusting is also type of
corrosion but the term is restricted to iron
or product made from it. Iron is easily
prone to rusting making its surface rough.
Chemically rusting is a hydrated ferric
oxide Fe2O3.nH2O.
 Objective of project

In this project the aim is to investigate

effect of metal coupling on the rusting of
iron. If the iron nail is coupled with a more
electropositive metal like zinc,
magnesium, aluminum rusting is
prevented but if on the other; it is coupled
with less electropositive metal like copper
the rusting is facilitated.
 Aim

To study the effect of metal coupling on

rusting of iron.
 Requirement

 Four petridishes
 Four iron nail
 Test tubes
 Beaker
 Sandpaper
 Wire gauge
 Gelatin
 Zinc and magnesium strip
 Potassium ferricyanide solution
 Phenolphthalein solution.
ELECTROCHEMICAL MECHANISM

Rusting may be explained by an electrochemical

mechanism in the presence of moist air containing
dissolved oxygen or carbon dioxide, the
commercial iron behaves as if composed of small
electrical cells. At anode of cell, iron passes into
solutions as ferrous ions.

Fe Fe + 2e
The electrons from the above reaction move
towards the cathode and from hydroxyl ions.

H2o + o + 2e 2oH
Under the influence of dissolved oxygen the
ferrous ion and hydrogen ion interact to form
rust.

2Fe +H2O+[O] 2Fe +2OH

2Fe3 + 6OH Fe2O. 3H2O or 2Fe (OH)
(Rust)
 PROCEDURE
1) Clean the surface of iron salt with the help
of sand paper. Wash than with carbon
tetrachloride and dry it 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 three and a fourth nail in petridishes
so that they are not in contact with each
other.
3) Preparation of agar agar solution. Heat
about 3g of agar agar in 100ml of water
taken in beaker until solution become clear.
Add about 1ml of 0.3M of Potassium
ferricyanide solution. 1ml of
phenolphthalein solution and stir well the
contents.
4) Fill the petridishes with heat agar agar
solution in a such way that only lower half
of the nails are covered with the liquid.
5) Keep the covered petridishes undistributed
one day or so.
6) The liquid sets to a gel on cooling. Two
types patches are observed around the
rusted nails, one is blue and other is pink.
Blue patch is due to the reaction between
ferrous ions and potassium Ferro-
ferricyanide Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3 whereas pink is
due to the formation of hydroxyl ions which
turns colorless phenolphthalein solution to
pink.
 OBSERVATION

S no. Metal pair Colour of Nail rust

the patch or not
1 Iron-Zinc

2 Iron-
Magnesium
3 Iron- Copper

4 Iron-Nail
 CONCLUSION
It is clear from observation that coopling
of iron with more electropositive metal
such as zinc and magnesium resists
corrosion of iron, with less
electropositive metal such as copper
increase rusting.
 METHOD OF PREVENTING
CORROSION

Some of the methods used to prevent

corrosion and rusting of iron are:
Barrier methods: In this method a barrier
film is introduced between iron surface and
atmospheric air.
The file is obtained by painting and
varnishing etc.

Galvanization: The metallic iron is covered

by a layer of more active metal such as zinc.
The active metal loses electron in
preference to iron.
Zn Zn +2e
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

NCERT book (XII Chemistry)

ComprehensiveChemistyPractical (XII)
www.Google.com
www.wikipedia.co

THE END
 Declaration

I Kalpana Patel a student of class XII B, K V

Bairagarh declare that the chemistry
project work emitted Rusting of iron
submitted to Mrs. Shradha Sinha PGT
Chemistry of my school is prepared by me
the guidance of my teacher for CBSE AISSC
Exam Session 2018-19.

Name : Kalpana Patel

Date Class XII B