- Rust will eventually eat this truck down to powder.Blue old-fashioned rusty ancient car Praga V3S. image by Maro...? Markovi?? from Fotolia.com
Rust has always been a problem for anybody that uses iron or owns vehicles or other metal items. By performing these simple experiments, you will gain understanding of the chemical process involved. Conducting a combination of these experiments will allow you to compare the results. As with all experiments, adult supervision is highly recommended for assistance and guidance. - For this experiment, you will need: an 8-penny common nail, free of zinc or epoxy coatings; vegetable oil; an 8-ounce disposable drinking cup; a camera and long tweezers or needle-nose pliers.
Fill the cup about half full of vegetable oil. Place the nail in the oil. Photograph the nail (take the nail out with the tweezers or pliers, then replace it after photographing) every day at the same time for 30 days.
Record your findings. You will notice that the nail did not rust, but remained preserved. This is because what causes rust is oxygen, and the oil blocks oxygen from reaching the nail. This is the only way to prevent rust, by blocking oxygen with oil, paints or zinc coating (called galvanizing). - For this experiment, you will need: an 8-penny common nail, free of zinc or epoxy coatings; potting soil; an 8-ounce disposable drinking cup; a camera and long tweezers or needle-nose pliers.
Fill the cup about halfway with potting soil. Place the nail in the soil. Photograph the nail every day (pull it out of the soil, and replace with the tweezers or pliers) at the same time for 30 days.
Record your findings. You will notice that the nail began to rust. This is because soil has trapped oxygen and corrosive chemicals. The chemicals eat into the nail, allowing the oxygen to penetrate the metal. - For this experiment, you will need: an 8-penny common nail, free of zinc or epoxy coatings; household hydrogen peroxide, available at drugstores; an 8-ounce disposable drinking cup; a camera and long tweezers or needle-nose pliers.
Fill the cup about halfway with hydrogen peroxide. Ask your adult helper to assist you with this. Place the nail in the hydrogen peroxide. Photograph the nail every day (pull it out of the liquid with long tweezers or pliers, and replace) at the same time for 30 days.
Record your findings. You will notice that the nail becomes very rusty. This is because hydrogen peroxide has a lot of dissolved oxygen, and the oxygen combines with iron to create iron oxide, or rust. - For this experiment, you will need: an 8-penny common nail, free of zinc or epoxy coatings; an 8-ounce disposable drinking cup; a camera and long tweezers or needle-nose pliers.
Place the nail in the cup. Photograph the nail every day (pull it out and replace with tweezers or pliers) at the same time for 30 days.
Record your findings. You will notice that the nail begins to rust slightly. This is because the air contains oxygen, along with moisture that allows the oxygen to attach to and penetrate the nail. - The Knight Foundation Summer Institute recommends conducting this experiment with steel wool and vinegar. You can duplicate this with a nail as well. For this, you will need: an 8-penny common nail, free of zinc or epoxy coatings; vinegar; an 8-ounce disposable drinking cup; a camera and long tweezers or needle-nose pliers.
Fill the cup about halfway with vinegar. Ask your adult helper to assist you with this. Place the nail in the vinegar. Photograph the nail every day (pull it out of the liquid with tweezers or pliers, and replace) at the same time for 30 days.
Record your findings. You will notice that the nail becomes very rusty. This is because vinegar is an acid, and an acid speeds up the rusting process of oxygen.
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