Unit 8: Electrochemistry Applications Lesson 5: Corrosion of Metals
What Makes Metals Corrode? Water and oxygen! 10 min (Oxygen-rich) (Fe2O3·xH2O) (Oxygen-poor)
Brain Break! Spot It!
How to Prevent Corrosion 1. Apply a protective layer such as paint or plastic. If oxygen and water can’t contact the metal, it won’t corrode.
Coat (“plate”) the metal with a different metal that is corrosion-resistant. E.g. Tin quickly oxidizes at its surface to produce a thin tin oxide layer that adheres strongly to the pure tin underneath, preventing further corrosion. Tin cans are actually tin-plated steel!
3. Use cathodic protection 3. Use cathodic protection. This is the process of protecting a metal from unwanted oxidation by attaching it to a different metal with a stronger tendency to oxidize. The “sacrificed” metal will act as an anode, so that the metal to be protected will act as a cathode and stay in its reduced form!
Practice: Pg. 234 #57-59 Pg. 236 #60-63 20 min