The Effect of the Components of Acid Rain on the Corrosion of Steel
This experiment strove to determine which of the main components of acid rain, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, or water, was more of a factor in the process of corrosion on steel. Corrosion causes steel to rust and lose mass through oxidation-reduction reactions. After an initial massing, samples of steel were placed into solutions of 0.01 M sulfuric acid (H2SO4), 0.01 M nitric acid (HNO3), and water (H2O). From there, each sample was massed every 24 hours in order to determine their daily changes in mass. The total change in mass was found by subtracting the final mass from the initial, and the results of each solution were compared using three two-sample t tests. From the results obtained through these calculations, it was determined that sulfuric acid was the most corrosive out of the three solutions tested.
Research Done By:
Brittany Baker
L'Anse Creuse High School
Nick Garcia
L'Anse Creuse High School
Warren Consolidated Schools