Name: ______________________________________________
Name:_____________________
Date:______________________
Group Members:______________________
______________________
______________________
Rust Race
Day 1
Objectives
Copy the objectives of this experiment from the board (3 pts). From Lesson Plan
1. __________________________________________________________________
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2. __________________________________________________________________
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3. __________________________________________________________________
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Introduction
Metal corrosion, or oxidation, involves the transfer of electrons from the metal to oxygen.
The rate of metal corrosion is affected by such things as exposure to salt, acid, base, and
pollution. A metal can be protected from corrosion by being coated with paint, a rust
inhibitor, or any other film which prevents exposure of the metal to oxygen or moisture.
Galvanizing is used to protect iron and steel products from being corroded. Galvanization
is the application of a thin coating of zinc to iron or steel. In this experiment you will test
metals for oxidation, measure oxygen consumption during corrosion, and identify ways
to protect metals from being corroded.
Safety
1. Always wear safety goggles to protect your eyes.

If you get a chemical in your eyes, immediately flush the chemical out at
an eyewash station. Notify a teacher immediately.
2. Do not allow chemicals to contact skin or clothing.
Name: ______________________________________________

If you get a chemical on your skin, wash it off immediately at the sink
with plenty of water. Notify a teacher.

Some of the chemicals used in this lab will eat through clothing. Be
careful not to get any on your clothes.
3. Promptly report spills to a teacher for proper clean up.
4. Notify a teacher if glass is broken so it can be disposed of properly.
5. Write a short essay about the safety demonstration. What did the demonstration
teach you about eye safety? Did this demonstration give you a reason to change
you lab safety practices? This essay is expected to be 100-150 words long (15
pts).
The eye looked healthy and showed little change in the saline (contact) solution.
The bleach solution caused the eye to turn yellow, shrink, and look very hard or
tough, like overcooked meat. The NaOH caused the white of the eye to turn
transparent and appeared to dissolve. The veins stood out bright red. The HCl
caused they eye to disintegrate.
Materials
Galvanized nails, 6
Sodium bicarbonate solution
Iron nails, 6
1 M HCl
Paper clips, 6
1 M NaOH
Pennies, 6
100 mL beaker, 6
Nickels, 6
Forceps
2% salt solution
Water
Acetic acid solution
Labels
Procedure
Part 1: Testing metals for corrosion
1. Use a pen and the labels provided to label six 100 mL beakers “water,” “salt,”
“acetic acid,” “hydrochloric acid,” “sodium bicarbonate,” and “sodium
hydroxide.” Using a graduated cylinder, pour into each beaker 50 mL of the
solution corresponding to the beakers label.
Name: ______________________________________________
Note: When measuring with a graduated cylinder, place the cylinder flat on the
table and bend at the knees until your eyes are level with the liquid in the
cylinder.
2. Using forceps, place the following into each beaker: a penny, a nickel, an iron
nail, a paper clip, and a galvanized nail. Place the 6 beakers in the lab area
provided and let them stand undisturbed until the next Rust Race lab period,
approximately 1 week.
Name: ______________________________________________
Rust Race 2
1. Copy the list of materials from the overhead:
Materials
Procedure
Part 1: Testing metals for corrosion
1. During the Day 2 of the Rust Race lab periods, use forceps to remove your test
materials, placing the contents of each beaker on separate paper towels. Carefully
observe each object for any physical changes that may have taken place. Record
any signs of corrosion (loss of shine, change in color, rust) in Data Table 1, which
can be found below (15 pts). In general, corrosion increased with pH. The iron
nail turns reddish brown, the galvanized nail and paper clip turn black, the nickel
turns black, and the penny turns green. At low pH, the galvanized nail, iron nail,
and paper clip may also disintegrate.
DATA TABLE 1: TESTING METALS FOR CORROSION
Test
Material
Water
Shine
Color
Rust
Salt Solution
Shine
Color
Rust
Iron Nail
Galvanized
nail
Paper clip
Nickel
Penny
Name: ______________________________________________
Acetic Acid
Shine
Color
Rust
Hydrochloric
Acid
Shine
Color
Rust
Sodium
Bicarbonate
Shine
Color
Rust
Sodium
Hydroxide
Shine
Color
Rust
Part 2: Measuring oxygen consumption during metal corrosion
1. Use a pen and the labels provided to label two test tubes “Steel Wool” and
“Control.”
2. In a 100 mL beaker, mix 10 mL of concentrated bleach with 20 mL of water.
3. Measure out 1 g of steel wool to the nearest 0.1 g. Rinse the wool with bleach to
remove any rust inhibitors it may contain. This will allow oxygen to access the
surface of the metal for oxidation to take place.
4. Pull apart the strands of steel wool so they are loosely packed and fluffy. Fill the
bottom third of the test tube labeled “Steel Wool” with the loosely packed steel
wool. The steel wool should make contact with the sides of the test tube and
should not slide out when the tube is inverted.
Name: ______________________________________________
5. Measure 1 g of shredded paper to the nearest 0.1 g and use it to fill the bottom
third of the test tube labeled “Control.” The paper should make contact with the
sides of the test tube and should not slide out when the tube is inverted.
6. Pour about 200 mL of water in the 400 mL beaker. Invert the test tubes prepared
in steps 4 and 5 and place them open end down in the beaker. The test tubes
should rest against the side of the beaker and the open ends should be fully
beneath the water level.
7. Use a wax pencil or permanent marker to mark the water level inside each test
tube. Use a metric ruler to measure the height of the water in each tube in cm to
the nearest mm. Also measure the height of the tube above the water. Record
your measurements in Data Table 2, which can be found on the next page. Leave
your setup undisturbed until the next Rust Race lab period (10 pts).
DATA TABLE 2: MEASURING OXYGEN CONSUMPTION
Measurement
Height of test tube above
Test Tube with Steel
Test Tube with Shredded
Wool
Paper
*
*
*
*
water level (cm)
Height of water at start
(cm)
Height of water level on
Day 3 (cm)
Water level increase (cm)
Percent increase in water
level
Percent oxygen consumed
by volume
Initial mass (g)
Final mass (g)
Change in mass (g)
Name: ______________________________________________
Analyzing Data
1. According to your observations in Data Table 1, which solution caused the most
corrosion in the materials tested? Explain why in 3 – 4 sentences (5 pts).
Corrosion is an electrochemical process involving an anode (a piece of metal that
readily gives up electrons), an electrolyte (a liquid that helps electrons move) and
a cathode (a piece of metal that readily accepts electrons). When a piece of metal
corrodes, the electrolyte helps provide oxygen to the anode. As oxygen combines
with the metal, electrons are liberated. When they flow through the electrolyte to
the cathode, the metal of the anode disappears, swept away by the electrical flow
or converted into metal cations in a form such as rust.
HCl causes the most corrosion. In acidic solutions, the metals readily give up an
electron to the H+ ion in solution changing their valence state and giving them a +
charge. This makes it easier for oxygen dissolved in the solution to react with the
metals to form rust, and thus accelerates the reaction.
2. According to your observations in Data Table 1, which solution caused the least
corrosion in the materials tested? Explain why in 3 – 4 sentences (5 pts).
NaOH is the least corrosive. Strong bases do not allow electrons to be liberated
from the metals since there is and excess of electrons in the basic solution.
3. What metal experienced the least corrosion overall? Why? (5 pts)
Silver experienced the lease amount of corrosion overall. Silver requires sulfides
to react with it in order to produces its tarnished layer. Sulfides are not abundant
in aqueous solutions, such as the ones used in this experiment, so the silver did
not corrode as much as the other metals.
Name: ______________________________________________
Day 3
Materials
Clear nail polish
Balance
Iron nails, 4
Forceps
Petroleum jelly
Metric ruler
Rust inhibitor
Water
100 mL beaker, 1
Labels
50 mL graduated cylinder
Procedure
Part 2: Measuring oxygen consumption during metal corrosion
1. Use a ruler to measure the new water level in each test tube. Record your results
in Data Table 2, which can be found above.
2. What happened to the water level in each test tube? Why? (5 pts)
The water level in the test tube should rise in order to equalize the pressure within
the tube as oxygen is consumed in the redox reaction to corrode the steel wool.
3. Using forceps remove the steel wool from the test tube and determine it’s mass.
Record your results in Data Table 2. Using forceps remove the shredded paper
from the test tube and determine it’s mass. Record your results in Data Table 2.
Carefully observe the steel wool strands and shredded paper. Describe any
corrosion that has taken place.
Observations (5 pts):
Corrosion should occur. The steel wool should become reddish brown and very
brittle. It should gain mass due to the oxygen atom that have chemically reacted
with the steel to form rust.
Part 3: Protecting metals from corrosion
1. Obtain 4 iron nails. Thoroughly coat the entire surface of the first nail with
petroleum jelly, coat the second nail with rust inhibitor, coat the third nail with
nail polish. Leave the fourth nail uncoated; it is your control.
Name:______________________
2. Pour 50 mL of salt solution in a 100 mL beaker. Using forceps, place the nails in
the beaker. Be sure the nails do not touch each other. Place in undisturbed area
of laboratory until the next Rust Race lab period.
Organizing Data
1. Calculate the water level increase for each test tube in Part 2 by subtracting the
initial height of the water from the final height of the water. Record your results
in Data Table 2. Show all work below (3 pts).
2. Calculate for both test tubes the percentage increase in the water level by dividing
the change in the water level by the height of the test tube above the water, then
multiply by 100. Record your results in Data Table 2. Show all work below (3
pts).
3. Calculate the change in the mass of steel wool by subtracting the initial mass of
steel wool from the final mass of steel wool. Record your results in Data Table 2.
Show all calculations below (3 pts).
Name:______________________
4. Calculate the change in the mass of shredded paper by subtracting the initial mass
of shredded paper from the final mass of shredded paper. Record your results in
Data Table 2. Show all calculations below (3 pts).
Inferring Conclusions
1. Based on your calculations for Part 2, what is the percentage of oxygen consumed
by volume in each test tube? Please show any calculations (5 pts).
The change in height of the water is the same as the change in height of oxygen.
Subtract the initial height of the water from the height of the test tube to find the
height of air. The initial height of oxygen is 20% the height of air. Divide the
change in the height of oxygen by the initial height of oxygen and multiply be 100
to find the percent change in oxygen.
Analyzing Data
1. Explain why steel wool gained mass in Part 2 (5 pts).
Oxygen atoms chemically bind to steel wool in the corrosion process. Since
oxygen atoms have mass, the mass of the steel wool is increased.
Day 4
Materials
Forceps
Paper towels
Name:______________________
Procedure
Part 3: Protecting metals from corrosion
1. Use forceps to carefully remove the nails from the beaker. Lay the nails on
separate paper towels. Carefully observe each nail for any physical changes that
may have taken place. Record any signs of metal corrosion in Data Table 3,
which can be found below (10 pts).
The control nail should show the most corrosion. Nail polish should look better
than the control (it will have a few shiny spots) but still show significant
corrosion. If the petroleum jelly nail coating is thin, it may show more corrosion
than the rust inhibitor nail and if the petroleum jelly layer is thick it may show
less corrosion than the rust inhibitor nail. Neither of theses should show a
significant amount of corrosion.
DATA TABLE 3: PROTECTING METALS FROM CORROSION
Test material
Shine
Color
Rust
Iron nail (control)
Iron nail coated
with petroleum
jelly
Iron nail coated
with nail polish
Iron nail coated
with rust inhibitor
Designing Experiments
1. The tarnish of silver is an oxidation reaction between silver and sulfur in the air or
in certain foods. Identify a food that contains sulfur and design an experiment to
demonstrate the tarnishing of silver (10 pts).
Cabbage, tomatoes, grapes, mustard, and other highly acidic foods contain sulfur.
The silver should be covered with a sulfur containing food, sealed, and allowed to
rest for about 1 week in order to make observations. This question allows for a
Name:______________________
lot of creative thought, so points should be given on thoroughness and correctness
of thought processes.
2. Design an experiment to determine which brand of steel wool resists rusting the
longest (10 pts).
This experiment should test different brands of steel wool similar to how the
initial steel wool experiment was done. The less mass the steel wool gained, the
less it corroded. For the purpose of control, the same mass of steel wool,
regardless of brand, should be used in each test tube.
3. Design an experiment to determine the effects of temperature on oxidation rate
(10 pts).
This experiment will use the same metal, such as a nail, in the same solution for
control purposes. The solution may be stored for a week in a freezer, refrigerator,
at room temperature, in a hotbox, if available, or in a greenhouse type
environment. Students should be sure to take temperature measurements at the
beginning, middle, and end of the experiment.
Engineering Applications
1. Write a 100-150 word essay on why you think it is important for engineers and
scientists to understand corrosion (15 pts).
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__________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Name:______________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. You have been asked to design a unit to separate the solutions in this experiment
from one another. Which of the metals tested will you choose to make your
separation unit out of and why? (10 pts)
Students should use the metal with the least amount of corrosion in acid,
especially if this is the least corrosive overall. Silver, maybe copper, would
appear to be best. Extra points may be given to students who consider the
economic impact or mention using cheap materials plated with silver or copper.
Day 5
You are now an engineering working in a research facility. With your group members,
design an experiment to test a question or theory you have on corrosion. You may use or
modify the experiment design questions from Day 4. Write a proposal with in
introduction about why you are doing the experiment, important theory that is applicable
to the experiment, a list of materials needed to carry out the experiment, and step-by-step
procedure. This experiment proposal is to be handed to your boss in at the end of the
class so it can be approved, suggestions made, and materials prepared. This assignment
is worth 30 pts.
Introduction
Using previous Rust Race activities and your book, write 7 – 10 sentences about
corrosion. A good starting sentence might be a definition of corrosion.
Purpose
What are the goals of your experiment? Write out 2 – 3 objectives for your experiment.
Briefly discuss (2 – 3 sentences) why your procedure is the best choice for meeting the
objectives you defined.
Safety
List 3 safety rules that must be followed during your experiment.
Name:______________________
Materials
List the materials and equipment you will need to complete your proposed experiment.
Procedure
Write out the step-by-step procedure for your experiment. These steps should be detailed
and clear so that anyone could walk into a lab and complete the experiment. This should
be quite long, ½ of a page to a page or more, handwritten. You must include a Data
Table in this section that would be filled out during the experiment.
Feasibility
You are writing this to your “boss,” and in business the cost of an experiment determines
whether or not the experiment will actually be conducted. Discuss the relative cost of
your materials. Are they cheap and available at WalMart, or are they expensive and hard
to get? Is the equipment you need already available in the lab or does it need to be
purchased?
Conclusion
Write a 4-6 sentence conclusion. What do you think will be the final result of the
experiment? What did you learn in the process of writing your experimental proposal?
Day 6
Carry out the experiment that you proposed on Day 5, taking into consideration your
bosses’ suggestions and changes. It is important that you write down any changes you
make to the experiment as you proceed. It is also important that you keep a data table
with all observations and results. You will need this information to write the lab report,
not to mention your boss may fire you if you are irresponsible with your lab practices.
Your procedural changes, data, results and observations are worth 30 pts.
Day 7
You will be given this class period to write the final lab report that you will give your
boss. It should include a title page with the experiment title, your name, your group
Name:______________________
members’ names, and your bosses’ names (Dr. Lee-Alvarez and Miss Behymer). It also
need to include an introduction that explains why you did the experiment and what
question or theory you were testing. Next should be the experimental procedure you
used, which will be similar to your proposed procedure, but include any changes you had
to make during the experiment. Include a table of data and results, and finally discuss
you data, results, and observations and draw conclusions about what you found out. Did
you answer your question? Was your theory proven true or false? This needs to be
handed in to your bosses at the end of class. It is worth 30 pts.