Summary for rusty nails temperature Discussion
Rusty nails at different temperatures is the core question here: Jerry, a junior in high school, asked whether water temperature and water chemistry would change how fast iron nails rust, and whether there was current research to help his project. The reply warns against trying to find the “right” answer in advance and says that would be junk science. Instead, the answerer suggests framing the experiment around two competing possibilities: higher temperature may speed rusting because chemical reactions are faster, but it may also slow rusting because warm water holds less dissolved oxygen. The advice is to design a controlled test, ideally using an aquarium with a heater and possibly a refrigerator, and to ask the teacher how corrosion will be measured—by visible rust, weight change, or water discoloration—before drawing conclusions.
August 25, 2008
Q. Hey I am jerry I am a junior at citrus park I am doing a chemistry project on the conditions for rusting and I need to know if the temperature of the water and what is in the water will have any effect on how much or how fast the iron nails will rust?
Do you know any current research that is being done on this project?
Do you have any advice or suggestions that will help me with my project?
Thanks for helping
Jerry
Jerry O. [surname deleted for privacy by Editor]
k-12 student Tampa, Florida
A. Hi, Jerry. Although the “scientific method” calls for some research on the topic before the experiment, I’m sure you know by Junior year that this always leads to students trying to figure out what the “right” answer is supposed to be before they do the experiment — and then throwing away any contrary results, giving far too much weight to results that agree with what they expected, dismissing “wrong” findings as experimental error, etc. If you do it that way, knowing the answer that you want your experiment to produce, that is not science, that is the very definition of “junk science”, and you should give yourself an “F” 🙂
Instead, ask yourself “will the nails rust faster at higher temperature because chemical activity & chemical reaction rates are faster; or will they rust slower because there is less dissolved oxygen at higher temperature?” Now you have a real experiment to be curious about.
Try to design a test using an aquarium and aquarium heater if possible, and/or a refrigerator, to try to try to observe the corrosion rate at different temperatures.
Also, ask the teacher how you are supposed to judge the corrosion rate (visible rust? weight before and after? discoloration of the water?). Until you can agree on how you will measure the amount of rusting, you may not be able to make claims about what rusted fastest. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
August 26, 2008