CHEMISTRY PROJECT

THE EFFECT OF METAL COUPLING ON THE RUSTING OF

IRON

Submitted by:
Roshni Gupta
XII C
VICTORIA GIRLS SR. SEC SCHOOL , 6 RAJPURA ROAD DELHI 110054
 AIM:
STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF

METAL COUPLING ON

RUSTING OF IRON.
 CERTIFICATE
It has been certified that Roshni gupta
studying in 12th c during the academic
year 2019-2020 has completed a
project on the effect of metal coupling
on the rusting of metal coupling on
the rusting of iron and has given
satisfactory account of this in her
project report.

Teacher’s Signature
 ACKNOWLEDGE
I would like express my special thanks to gratitude to
my teacher Mrs. Charu Singh Rathore as well as
our principle Mrs. Gayitri Sampson who gave me
the golden opportunity to this wonderful project on
the topic “Study of Effect Of Metal Coupling on the
Rusting of Iron”. Secondly I would like to thank my
parents and friend project with in the limited
framework and time frame.
 In this project the aim is to
investigate effect of metals
Coupling on the rusting of iron.
Metal coupling affects the rusting of
iron.
If the nail is coupled with a more
electro-positive metal
Like zinc, magnesium or aluminium
Rusting is prevented but if on the
other hand it is coupled with less
electro-positive metals like

Copper, the rusting is facilitated.

Apparatus

1. Two Petri Dishes

2. Four test-tube

3. Four iron nails

4. Beaker
5. Sand paper
6. Wire gauge
7. Gelatine
8.Copper, zinc & Magnesium strips

9.Potassium ferricyanide solutions

10.Phenolphthalein
 Procedure:
 Clean the surface of iron nails with the help of sand paper. Wash them
with carbon tetrachloride and dry on filter paper.
 Wind a clean zinc strip around one nail, a clean copper wire around the
second and clean magnesium strip around the third nail. Put all these third
and a fourth nail in petridishes so that they are not in contact with each
other.
 Preparation of agar agar solution. Heat about 3gm of agar agar in 100ml
of water taken in a beaker until solution becomes clear. Add about 1ml of
0.1M potassium ferri-cyanide solution, 1ml of phenol-phthalein solution and
stir well the contents.
 Fill the petridishes with hot agar agar solution in such a way that only
lower half of the nails are covered with the liquids.
 Keep the covered petridishes undisturbed for one day or so.
 The liquid sets to a gel on cooling. Two types of patches are observed
around the rusted nail, one is blue and the other is pink. Blue patch is due
to the reaction between ferrous ions and potassium ferricyanide, to form
potassium Ferro-ferricyanide, KFe [Fe(CN)6] whereas pink patch is due
to the formation of hydroxyl ions which turns colorless phenolphthalein
pink.
Observations:

S.No. Metal pair Colour of the Nail rusts or

patch not
1. Iron-zinc pink No
2. Iron- Pink No
magnesium
3. Iron-copper blue Yes
4. Iron -nail blue Yes
 Conclusion
It is clear from the observations that coupling of iron with
more electropositive metal such as zinc and magnesium
resists corrosion and rusting of iron. Coupling of iron with
less electropositive metal such as copper increases rusting.
 Bibliography:
For our project we have taken help from following
sources;
NCERT Chemistry – XII
Comprehensive Practical Chemistry – XII
Internet- www.wikipedia.com
http://project.icbse.com/chemistry