1. Does Rust Affect Metal’s Strength? Carolyn Riegel Grade Nine

2. Problem  What solution will cause the most rust, thus resulting in the weakest metal?

3. Research  Rust, or oxidation, occurs when certain metals are exposed to oxygen and water  The water that hits the surface of the metal will form with carbon dioxide to become acid  The rest of the water will separate into its two elements, hyrdogen and oxygen. Oxygen will combine with the acid to create iron oxide  When regular water is the catalyst in the oxidation process it forms an acidic solution. If salt is used, no solution is needed because it is already a catalyst.  Bleach is a potent oxidizer and readily accepts electrons from the iron

4. Hypothesis  If steel wool is soaked in three different solutions, the salt solution will cause the steel wool to require the least amount force to rip apart.

5. Materials  9 beakers  9 pieces of steel wool ( about 5 cm² each)  Distilled water ( 100 milliliters in three beakers)  10% salt concentration with distilled water in three beakers  10% bleach concentration with distilled water in three beakers  Force Logger Pro Software  Computer

6. Procedure  Each steel wool piece was cut  Beakers were filled with different solutions  After 3 days, steel wool was removed from beakers and allowed them to dry off  Force Logger Pro was used to test the force needed to rip the steel wool  Independent variable: solution steel wool is placed in  Dependent Variable: durability of the steel wool  Constants: type of steel wool, time steel wool was in solution, temperature of room  Control: steel wool placed in distilled water solution, steel wool not placed in any solution

7. Data

8. Conclusion  hypothesis : If steel wool is soaked in three different solutions, the salt solution will cause the steel wool to require the least amount force to rip apart.  Hypothesis supported based on my results

9. Works Cited  Netrekker. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec.2011..  "Rust." Science Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2011..  Salt and Oxidation." Student Resource Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2011.