Question

(a) Why is an iron grill painted frequently?
(b) Explain why, through aluminium is more reactive than iron, yet there is less corrosion of aluminium when both are exposed to air.

Answer 1

(a) To prevent rusting of iron substances, they are painted frequently. Iron is a reactive metal and it starts corroding in the presence of air (oxygen) and water (or moisture). Iron reacts with oxygen present in the moist air and forms a brown flaky iron oxide (or rust) layer on its surface. This is called rusting. This rusting causes huge damage to iron substances by making them weak. Therefore, an iron grill is painted frequently to prevent corrosion.

(b) Aluminium is more reactive than iron. It reacts easily with oxygen in moist air and forms a layer of aluminium oxide on its surface. This aluminium oxide layer is very strong and does not allow the air to enter the metal for further reaction. This prevents further corrosion of aluminium. On the other hand, the formation of iron oxide layer by iron on reacting with moist air does not prevent the metal. It further allows the reaction between iron and moist air to continue and increases corrosion. Thus, aluminium is a highly resistive metal to corrosion and protects itself against corrosion as compared to iron when exposed to air.