Corrosion is the breakdown or destruction of a material, especially a metal, through chemical reactions. the most common form of corrosion is rust which occurs when iron combines with oxygen and water." (Dictionary.com, 2018) "like pure iron, it corrodes quickly. Stainless steel, however, which combines iron and other alloys, is slower to corrode and is therefore used more frequently.”(The Balance, 2018) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Oxygen and water must be present for corrosion to occur. “Corrosion occurs through a series of reduction-oxidation reactions, similar to those of a battery. The corroded metal acts as an anode; the metal is oxidized, forming metal ions and free electrons. The free electrons reduce oxygen, often forming hydroxide and providing a complementary cathodic reaction. Dissolving the metal at the anode has two possible outcomes; the metal ions can go into solution, hydrating, or the metal ions can form a solid compound that collects on the surface. In the first case, further oxidation of the metal ions can occur and an open pit can form.” (Chemistry LibreTexts, 2018) In an open environment water usually easily comes into contact with an iron object, there are two possible reactions that start almost instantly. The first is when water is mixed with carbon dioxide in the air to create a weak carbonaceous acid. Some of the water begins to separate into its elements, hydrogen and oxygen. As the acid forms and the iron dissolves. Since the corrosion process is electrochemical in nature, increasing the temperature usually also increases the corrosion rate. “This is because if you heat a substance, the particles move faster and therefore collide more frequently. An important factor in the corrosion rate is humidity and wetting time.” (Clark, 2018) The length of time a metal is exposed to sufficient moisture to initiate the corrosion process is related to moisture time. “Therefore, higher humidity and longer wetting time increase the rate of corrosion, provided oxygen is present” (Painting, 2018) During the corrosion process, water acts as a solvent in which solute oxygen breaks down . Because oxygen can liquefy in water, and because it is usually present in excess, oxygen reacts with iron hydroxide. The factor we will look at is how different types of sodium chloride concentrations (independent variable) can affect iron nails (dependent variable) compared to water (control). There will be five beakers with one, three, five, ten, thirty percent sodium chloride along with one beaker containing only water which will be the control. To make this a correct experiment, we will add the same volume of solution to each beaker. All glasses will be kept at room temperature. Controlled variables will include temperature, amount of solution in each beaker, size of beaker, type of beaker, and type of nail. During the corrosion process electrons are transported from one substance to another. Electrons produced by the oxidation of iron, where the iron acts as an anode, are transferred to reduce oxygen, forming hydroxide ions. Salt dissolves in water where it produces sodium and chloride ions, and the presence of these charged particles greatly improves the electrolyte's ability to transport ions and accelerates the rate of corrosion. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a personalized card now from ours..