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The aim of the experiment is to investigate how much air is used in the reaction between iron, oxygen, and water that causes rust.
If steel wool is placed in an inverted test tube in water for a week, rust will form because oxygen and water will react with each other and cause the water levels to rise.
When steel wool is combined with moist air, an oxidation reaction should occur. This is because alloys such as steel wool are made of the metal iron.
This means that when iron is exposed to air and water, it undergoes a chemical reaction due to the iron content being so high. When a substance high in iron comes into contact with moist air, a substance called iron oxide, otherwise known as rust, forms. The reddish-brown substance forms on the metal, and as the week goes on, more oxygen is used to form the rust on steel wool. This means that less oxygen causes the water in the jar to rise and creates a very slight vacuum.
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The longer that the glass is left, the more the water will rise.
| Apparatus | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Test tube | 1 |
| Beaker | 1 |
| Water | Approximately 20cm3 |
| Steel wool | As needed |
| Risk | Risk Level | Management |
|---|---|---|
| Glass | Low | Ensure that the test tube is clamped tightly in place on the stand so that it does not fall and shatter. |
| Steel wool | Low | Do not ingest or inhale steel wool. Use soap-free steel wool and do not let it make it into the eyes. |
| Rusty Water | Low | Wear protective eyewear to ensure no water enters. Ensure rusty water is not ingested. |
| Air Left (cm3) | Total Water (cm3) | Water Rise (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 4 | 3 |
The trend present in this experiment was that the longer the experiment was left, the higher the water would rise. This was because each day that went by, more oxygen was needed to fuel the rust and help it to form. As the rust was formed, the oxygen was taken away, and therefore the water had more available space in the test tube to occupy. The more space that the water occupied, the higher the water rose.
The chemical equation for the formation of rust is as follows:
Iron + oxygen → iron oxide
The synthesis reaction that causes rust to form on metals only takes place when oxygen, an electrolyte, and water are present in an environment. Rust will not form if only oxygen and an electrolyte are around. This is because although only 20% of air is oxygen, it is simply not enough to cause a chemical reaction like this to occur without moisture.
Before the experiment took place, it was ensured that the steel wool being used was not coated with soap and did not have a plastic coating around it. This is because metals such as stainless steel and other surfaces are normally coated with chromium. Chromium acts as a protective barrier between the metal and oxygen, water to ensure that rust cannot and is not formed.
There were numerous errors that could be found in this experiment. Some systematic errors that were identified were:
Some random errors that were recorded were parallax error when measuring with the ruler or other pieces of equipment, and the surface tension of the water stopping people from getting the proper results of the experiment as this adds or deducts from the height of the water.
This experiment proved to be successful in that the aim of the experiment, which was to investigate how much air is used in the reaction between iron, oxygen, and water that causes rust, was reached. Through observing a simple oxidation or synthesis reaction, it was able to be seen that rust must have an environment of oxygen, an electrolyte, and water in order to be formed. The hypothesis was supported because when steel wool was placed in an inverted test tube in water for a week, rust was formed.
Laboratory Report: Rust Formation. (2024, Jan 10). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/document/laboratory-report-rust-formation
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