Corrosion of Iron Experiment

The Materials Science and Technology Teacher's Workshop (MAST) provides this demonstration on corrosion. The laboratory exercise will allow students the opportunity to "observe the electrochemical nature of the changes in an iron nail when it corrodes and to investigate methods to protect it." Ways of preventing corrosion include protecting the metal with a more active metal and excluding oxygen and moisture from the material's surface with a protective coating. The lesson includes a step by step explanation of the laboratory procedure, discussion questions and teacher notes.