Question

Rahul has started a new shop where he sells food packed in iron containers. But he is receiving a lot of complaints about the spoilage of food. He tells his friend Rohit, who is a chemical engineer, about this problem. Rohit suggests he use tin-coated iron instead. What could be the reason for this?

Answer 1

• The iron is getting oxidized and it is responsible for spoiling the packed and processed food.
• The oxidation potential of Iron is higher than the oxidation potential of Tin, because of which Iron is getting oxidized.
• Coating the iron container with a substance that has lower oxidation potential will reduce the chances of Iron getting oxidized and thus preserving the food materials.
• This process is an example of electroplating where a less reactive metal is coated over a more reactive metal and protects it from getting oxidized.