Question

What is corrosion of metals?

Answer 1

Corrosion

• Corrosion is the natural process by which pure metals react with components such as water or air to form unwanted combinations.
• This reaction produces metal degradation and disintegration, beginning with the exposed region of the metal and progressing to the entire mass of the metal.

Applications

• Metals with a higher reactivity series, such as iron and zinc, corrode quickly, whereas gold, platinum, and palladium do not.
• This is because corrosion necessitates the oxidation of metals.
• As we proceed through the reactivity series, the likelihood to become oxidized decreases.
• Interestingly, despite its reactivity, aluminum does not corrode in the same way that other metals do.
• Because aluminum already gets covered in an oxide layer.
• This layer of aluminum oxide protects it from further corrosion.

Advantages

• The inner metal is protected from corrosion by a coating of oxide that forms on the surface.
• Zinc sacrificial anodes are used as a corrosion preventive for other metals.
• When two different types of metals come into electrical contact in an electrolyte, galvanic corrosion occurs, and the more active metal tends to corrode.

Disadvantages

• Loss of metal from the surface
• The physical appearance of a metal object varies with time.
• Metal has a wide range of chemical characteristics.
• Objects made of metal have a shorter lifespan.
• Metal machinerys' efficiency diminishes because of this.