9.5.2

Preventing Corrosion

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Preventing Corrosion

There are three main methods used to stop metals corroding.

Coatings

Coatings

  • We can prevent corrosion by applying a coating that acts as a barrier, such as greasing, painting or electroplating.
    • E.g. Aluminium has an oxide coating that protects the metal from further corrosion by preventing the metal's surface coming into contact with oxygen and water.
  • A disadvantage is that any damage to the coating will lead to the metal becoming exposed and so corrosion will take place.
Sacrificial method

Sacrificial method

  • In the sacrificial method, a metal that requires protection will have a more reactive metal attached to it.
    • The metal is attached to a more reactive metal and the more reactive metal will undergo oxidation, leaving the less reactive metal intact.
  • This means that water and oxygen will stop reacting with the protected metal as they are too busy reacting with the sacrificial metal!
Galvanising

Galvanising

  • Galvanising is a hybrid of coatings and the sacrificial method.
    • The metal that needs protecting is sprayed with a more reactive metal (e.g. zinc).
    • This initially acts as a coating.
    • If the more reactive metal is damaged, it will continue to protect as a sacrificial metal.
Jump to other topics
1

States of Matter

2

Atoms, Elements & Compounds

3

Stoichometry

4

Electrochemistry

5

Chemical Energetics

6

Chemical Reactions

7

Acids, Bases & Salts

8

The Periodic Table

9

Metals

10

Chemistry of the Environment

11

Organic Chemistry

11.1

Formulae, Functional Groups & Terminology

11.2

Naming Organic Compounds

11.3

Fuels

11.4

Alkanes

11.5

Alkenes

11.6

Alcohols

11.7

Carboxylic Acids

11.8

Polymers

12

Experimental Techniques & Chemical Analysis

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