Metals and Non-metals

Activity . Take three test tubes and place clean iron nails in each of them. Label these test tubes A, B and C. Pour some water in test tube A and cork it.

Pour boiled distilled water in test tube B, add about mL of oil and cork it. The oil will float on water and prevent the air from dissolving in the water. Put some anhydrous calcium chloride in test tube C and cork it. Anhydrous calcium chloride will absorb the moisture, if any, from the air.

Leave these test tubes for a few days and then observe (Fig. . ). Figure .

Figure . Figure . Figure . Figure .

Investigating the conditions under which iron rusts. In tube A, both air and water are present. In tube B, there is no air dissolved in the water. In tube C, the air is dry.

You will observe that iron nails rust in test tube A, but they do not rust in test tubes B and C. In the test tube A, the nails are exposed to both air and water. In the test tube B, the nails are exposed to only water, and the nails in test tube C are exposed to dry air. What does this tell us about the conditions under which iron articles rust?