Question

Explain the term “corrosion” with an example. Write a chemical equation to show the process of corrosion of iron.

Answer 1

Corrosion is the process by which materials, usually metals, deteriorate due to chemical reactions with air, moisture, and other agents. During the corrosion of iron (or rusting of iron), iron metal is oxidised by the oxygen of air in the presence of water (moisture) to form hydrated iron (III) oxide called rust:

\[\ce{\underset{Iron}{4Fe} + \underset{Oxygen}{3O2} + \underset{Water}{2xH2O} -> \underset{(Rust)}{\underset{Hydrated iron (III) oxide}{2Fe2O3 * xH2O}}}\]