For Science Project, Student Needs to Know What Metals Corrode Fastest

A. Steel corrodes fairly quickly if it's not properly protected with a good coating of some sort, and a lot of steel is used in cars, Franceska.

But you really don't have a science project until you have learned enough about the general subject that you are able to understand the issues you are trying to ask about :-)

Search engines allow you to find answers, and cut and paste them, when you don't even understand the question That's one important reason why books are critical to projects like this. When you have succeeded in finding something useful to your project in a book, you are beginning to understand what your project is really about. Please ask a town or school librarian to help you find an age-appropriate book on corrosion. Good luck.

I can help, Kirsty: think about this. What kinds of metals are miners or prospectors seeking when they look for nuggets or dusts? And what kind of metals are we trying to make when we take raw ores and fire them at high temperatures to try to drive off the oxygen and convert the ore to metal by removing the oxygen?

The reason that hint should help is this: if we can find a nugget or dust of pure metal in nature, which hasn't corroded in millions of years, that metal obviously doesn't corrode, does it? And if we can't find that metal in nature, but instead must smelt the metal from ores (oxides, sulfides, or carbonates of that metal), then that metal obviously does corrode. Good luck.

A. Hi, Cassidy. Yes, your experimental results will tell you which metals corroded the fastest in liquid. But you will have to define what kind of liquid you are talking about: water, salt water, vinegar, bleach, olive oil, or what.

Regarding your 2nd question of which metals "corroded the best together", I think you will need to spend a bit more thought in carefully phrasing the question. Do you mean which are safe to use together with no fear of galvanic corrosion, or do you mean which will react most powerfully with each other, creating a battery. Good luck.

Regards,

Q. In my project the liquids I'm using are water, orange juice, and Coca-Cola. Which metals (meaning any metal) will corrode best with another metal (meaning any metal)

Look up "the galvanic series" (or "seawater series"), Cassidy. Metals which are close together on that list have similar potentials and will not accelerate corrosion too much. The metals which are furthest apart will create a powerful corrosion battery. The familiar pair, zinc and copper, i.e., galvanized nails and pennies, are pretty far apart and will generate 1.1 volts as the zinc corrodes.

Regards,

A. Hi Maria. Yes, we can help. Perform the experiment as directed on the page you mentioned, submit your results here, and we'll be happy to comment on them, and confirm whether we think your results are valid.

But don't ask anyone for the answers before you do the experiment because that will surely lead to you discounting observations that contradict it, giving too much weight to observations that happen to agree, etc. It is very hard for a young student to do an experiment properly if they have been told what results to expect. Good luck.

Regards,