Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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Science topic answer

Hi,

I am doing my 8th grade science fair project, and my topic is: What pH level causes metal to rust the fastest? I just wanted to know what you think the answer to that question is.

Tracy T.
school - Skokie , IL, U.S.
2003

I think that the most corrosive situation would be when the hydronium ion concentration approaches normality as the limit, that is, when its negative logarithm approaches zero :-)

Actually, Tracy, what I'm doing in kidding with you is saying that this sounds like a project that would be very tough for an 8th grader because at your age you'd probably lack the background in both chemistry and math to really understand what pH means. But the pH scale ranges from 0 (extremely acid) through 7 (neutral) to 14 (extremely alkaline), and acids attack and corrode iron much faster than alkalis.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003

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