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2 DATA INTERPRETATION
From the results I obtained from this experiment, I observed that the various metals
zinc, silver, lead, copper and tin displayed unique corrosion characteristics in various
Among all metals, Zinc showed the highest corrosion rate in both acids. This is
because Zinc has the highest position in the reactivity series compared to other 4
metals hence it has the greatest tendency to be oxidised. The corrosion rate of zinc in
HCl was 0.115 mpy and 0.071 in CH 3 COOH solution. Both solutions turn cloudy at
the end and a lot of gas bubbles were released due to the formation of hydrogen gas.
Corrosion of zinc in HCl was higher because HCl is a stronger acid than CH 3 COOH
solution. Brown spots were even formed on zinc in HCl solution due to severe corrosive
attack. Zn also showed a corrosion rate of 0.064 mpy in distilled water. Effervescence
occurred. In distilled water, Zn cannot form a protective scale to reduce the access of
oxygen to the zinc surface, hence the attack will commence. Zinc also reacted under
high pH conditions. Zinc shows a corrosion rate of 0.148 mpy in sodium hydroxide
solution and 0.079 mpy in ammonia solution. The corrosion rate in sodium hydroxide
stronger base. I also observed that the reaction in these two bases released gas
bubbles and turn cloudy. Although Zinc is lower than Sodium in reactivity series of
However, Zinc is amphoteric, so it can react with a strong base such as NaOH as an
acid forming sodium zincate. The gas bubbles released is due to the formation of
Lead metal showed a corrosion rate of 0.064 mpy in HCl solution and 0.036 mpy in
CH 3 COOH solution. The corrosion rate in HCl was higher because HCl is a stronger
acid. Gas bubbles were also formed in HCl solution. Though in theory, lead does not
corrode in distilled water, it showed a corrosion rate of 0.021 mpy. This may be due to
the the exposure of oxygen and carbon dioxide. In distilled water containing a certain
ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen, a lead carbonate film that is formed dissolves and
corrosive attack commences. From the results, it has also been found that among all
metals, lead metal has the highest rate of corrosion under higher pH. The corrosion rate
of lead in NH 3 solution is 0.089 mpy and 0.137 mpy in NaOH solution. The lead
metal crumples a lot in both alkali solutions. The tendency of lead to corrode seems to
be greater in alkalis than acids. This is because lead is a heavy metal and heavy metals
corroded at a rate of 0.007 mpy and 0.016 in HCl solution and CH 3 COOH solution.
Silver has a low tendency to corrode in acids because it is at a lower position than
hydrogen in the reactivity series, therefore it hardly displaces the hydrogen from the
acid. The rate of corrosion of silver metal in distilled water is 0.00 indicating no corrosion
took place. However, it corroded at a rate of 0.082 mpy and 0.114 mpy in ammonia and
sodium hydroxide solution. The corrosion rate is higher in NaOH than NH 3 because
Similar to Silver, Copper has relatively low corrosion rates in solution with low pH.
Copper shows a corrosion rate of 0.010 mpy in HCl and 0.013 in CH 3 COOH solution.
The tendency of copper to be oxidised in acid is low because it has a lower position in
the reactivity series than hydrogen. Black spots are formed when copper was reacted
with distilled water. This is due to the formation of copper(II) oxide when copper reacted
with oxygen.
solution is 0.022 mpy and 0.030 mpy. It corrodes at a higher rate in NaOH solution
The last metal tested was Tin metal. Tin reacted with HCl and showed a relatively
A little amount of gas bubbles were seen at the end of the experiment due to the small
amount of hydrogen gas formed. In ethanoic acid solution, Tin metal corroded at a lower
rate which is 0.014 mpy. This is because HCl is a stronger acid. There was no corrosion
when Tin was tested with distilled water. However, from the results it has been proven
that Tin corrodes more in higher pH solutions. The rate of corrosion in sodium hydroxide
Sn + 2NaOH + 4 H 2 O Na 2 Sn (OH )6 ] +2 H 2
Gas bubbles was formed because hydrogen was evolved. In this reaction, sodium
stannate, which is a colourless salt and soluble in water, is formed and hence the
solution remains clear. A lower corrosion rate of 0.099 mpy was obtained when Tin was