BACKGROUND Corrosion could be simply defined as the destruction and/or deterioration of a material as a result of its reaction with its

environment. This phenomenon has several untoward consequences, like an unpleasant appearance of the corroded material, loss of valuable products, shutdown of operation plants together with its loss production time, health and financial results. Current statistics show that in the United States alone, corrosion alone cost the entire nation about $276 million in 1998 and had even increased in 2008 to about $430 million. On a global scale, in 2008, this amount is $1.5 trillion1. In view of these, corrosion should be prevented or reduced to its barest minimum. INTRODUCTION Rusting is an electrochemical reaction which occurs in the presence of a metal and an electrolyte. Most metals, including iron, occur naturally as ores in combined forms and are stable in this form. Iron, on its own, is not stable on its own from a thermodynamic view and it always tries to go back to its most stable form, Iron (III) hydroxide, which is the chemical compound for rust2. The primary objective of this report is to compare the corrosiveness of two different mineral waters; sparkle water and still water, thereby analysing the effects of environment on materials susceptibility to corrode. In the experiment, it was found out that, within the three weeks period of observation, the sparkling water does not corrode the nail, while there is visible rusting occurring on the nail placed in the still water. METHODOLOGY Apparatus 1. 1 transparent bottle of sparkling water; 2. 1 transparent bottle of still water; 3. 2 mild steel nails; 4. pH meter; 5. Sandpaper; 6. A piece of dry cloth. PROCEDURES FOR EXPERIMENT 1. Label each bottle as sparkling and still water; 2. Use the pH meter to check the alkalinity/acidity of each and record them;

3. Sand paper the nails and clean with dry cloth to ensure a smooth surface free from any protective oxide barrier; 4. Insert a nail in each sample bottle. 5. Make a record of the following data. Name Source Mineral / Ionic content CO2 content and origin. If the CO2 is referred to as natural, what sort of CO2 is present and how it would differ? pH at source When and where they were bought.

6. Make a note of what is happening on each subsequent day. PRECAUTIONS 1. Transparent bottles were used to enhance clarity of reactions; 2. Nails were sand papered to ensure a smooth surface, thereby removing any protective film that may retard oxidation of the nail. 3. Both sample bottles were put in an environment where they will be free from any form of agitation; since this usually increases the rate of reaction. 4. Bottles were both closed to prevent any entry of oxygen from the atmosphere as this would have increased the rate of reaction. OBSERVATIONS Throughout the period of the examination, it was noticed that after day 2, the nail in the still water had begun corroding, whereas, the nail in the sparkle water did not rust all through the three weeks. DISCUSSION COMPOSITIONS OF SPARKLE WATER AND STILL WATER SPARKLE WATER Sulphate (SO4)2Bicarbonate (HCO3-) Calcium (Ca2+) 445.0 239.0 179.0 STILL WATER 45.7 193.0 55.0

Chloride (Cl-) Magnesium (Mg2+) Sodium (Na+) Silica Residue (SiO2) Strontium (St2+) Nitrate (NO3-) Potassium (K+) Fluoride (F-)

55.0 52.0 34.0 8.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 0.0

19.1 4.4 31.2

8.2 0.1

Other information derived include: Data Name Source Place of purchase pH at source pH (measured) SPARKLE WATER S.PELLEGRINO Italy Aberdeen 7.7 STILL WATER

THERMODYNAMICS OF THE REACTIONS STILL WATER Two separate reactions take place during corrosion; an anodic reaction and a cathodic reaction. The anodic reaction is expressed in the equation: Fe(s) Fe+2 (aq) + 2e-

This is an oxidation reaction as the element losses electrons (or increases its valency). There is presence of dissolved oxygen in the water from the way it is produced; hence the cathodic reaction equation is thus: O2 + 2H2O + 4e4OH-(aq)

This is a reduction reaction as oxygen gains electrons. If we combine both equations, we have an overall equation expressed below: Fe + 2H2O + O2 2Fe+2 + 4OH2Fe(OH)2

There is a net electron transfer of zero. If this were not the case, then, the material will become charged and this is not possible. The downward arrow ( ) indicates that Iron (II) hydroxide precipitates from the reaction. It is worthy to note, however, that this hydroxide of Iron is not stable in oxygenated solutions and is further oxidized to the ferric salt. 2Fe(OH)2 + H2O + O2 SPARKLE WATER In the case of the sparkle water, the presence of CO2 increases the composition of bicarbonates here. Bicarbonates will react with the Fe ions and precipitate as iron carbonates. This precipitate acts as a strong, thin passive film on the surface of the nail, which prevents any oxidation of the nail, thereby preventing rusting of the nail. The simple equation below shows how this reaction occurs: Fe2+(aq) + CO32-(aq) FeCO3 (s) 2Fe(OH)3

This is the primary reason why the sparkle water does not corrode the iron nail, whereas, the still water does.

The Pourbaix diagram for Fe is a useful tool in identifying regions of pH and potential in which the iron nail will react or not to form oxides.

The electrode potential of Fe is -0.44V. i.e with respect to H, having a potential of 0. At potentials more positive than 0.6 and with pH values less than 9 (in the case of the still water 6.9), ferrous iron (Fe2+) is stable. This simply means that iron will corrode under these given conditions. In other regions of the Pourbaix diagram, it is evident that corrosion of iron generates ferric hydroxide [Fe(OH)3], ferric ions (Fe3+), ferrous hydroxide [Fe(OH)2],and under extremely alkaline conditions, complex HFeO2. Increase in acidity of the solution will result in active corrosion as the nail corrodes very fast, while reducing the acidity or increasing the alkalinity of the solution would create a basic environment which will reduce the tendency of the iron nail to corrode and/or decrease the rate of corrosion. Conversely, if the potential of the iron nail is made sufficiently more negative, say below, 0.5V in neutral environments, the iron nail will become more stable at the immune region and will thus corrode less. At the end of the three weeks, the pH of the solution is expected to slightly increase. At this solution pH, evidence from Pourbaix diagram indicates that the nail will remain stable in the passive region. As the system is left still, iron oxide (rust) film formed will therefore act aas a barrier to oxygen diffusion.

CONCLUSIONS In the experiment, the formation of hydroxide ions increase the alkalinityof the solution. Also, the formation of iron oxide film acts as a barrier to oxygen diffusion, thus, the corrosion rate of the iron nail is reduced. From the pourbaix diagram, the nail is observed to become stable in the passive film region. In natural water with dissolved oxygen content, the corrosion rate of an iron diminishes as iron oxide (rust) is formed. The corrosion of a metal in solution is dependent on the metal potential and the pH of the solution. Understanding the effects of environment and material composition aids in preventing and/or minimizing rusting, which will save costs, among other consequences of corrosion.

REFERENCES 1. www.corrosioncost.com 2. Fontana 3.