Grade 7, Science Olympiad (CBSE) - Rusting of Iron 

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Grade 7  |   Science  |   Rusting of Iron, Physical and Chemical changes, Olympiad, CBSE, ICSE, Maths Olympiad, Science Olympiad, English Olympiad

Rusting of iron

You may have witnessed the appearance of brown flaky substances on the iron nails. This substance is what we call rust. The process of change of iron to rust is called rusting of iron. 

Rust is actually iron oxide which is formed due to the reaction of iron with the oxygen and humidity present in the air. 

Iron(Fe)+ Oxygen (O₂)+ water(H₂O)—› Rust(iron oxide, Fe2O3)

How to prevent rusting of iron

Galvanization- It is considered the best way to prevent an iron artifact or article from rusting. Here, a thin layer of zinc is deposited on the iron surface which is less reactive than the iron. Chromium is also used for the same purpose. 

Painting- By applying a coat of paint or grease is also an effective way of preventing the rusting of iron.

Rusting of iron needs the presence of moisture and oxygen in the atmosphere. These are the two essential conditions for rushing. 

Some factors which speed up the process of rusting

• Presence of electrolytes in the water. As we know sea water is rich in the number of salts the ships sailing in the sea suffer a lot of damage from rushing in spite of being painted. This happens so as the salts in the seawater acts as electrolytes which fasten the process of rusting. 
• Presence of high moisture content in the air is responsible for fastening the rate of rusting. 

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