Metal dissolution oxidation

The anodic reaction thus consists of metal dissolution (oxidation) ... 

Cathodic protection methods are useful for designing against corrosion, but theses methods require knowledge of electrochemical polarization. The main objective in protecting a metallic stmcture is to eliminate or reduce corrosion rate by supplying an electron flow to a stmcture to reduce or eliminate metal dissolution (oxidation). This implies that the anodic reactions is suppressed on the surface of the stmcture. This can be accomplished using secondary materials and appropriate instrumentation to supply electrons to the stmcture. 

Thus, it can basically be predicted under what conditions (pH, concentration of redox species) tire metal dissolution reaction (Fe Fe ) proceeds tliennodynamically. From a practical point of view, tire rate of tire reaction and tlierefore tire fate of tire oxidized species (Fe ) is extremely important tliey can eitlier be solvated, i.e., to fonn Fe (H20) complexes, and tlierefore be efficiently dissolved in tire solution, or tliey can react witli oxygen species of... 

This is essentially a corrosion reaction involving anodic metal dissolution where the conjugate reaction is the hydrogen (qv) evolution process. Hence, the rate depends on temperature, concentration of acid, inhibiting agents, nature of the surface oxide film, etc. Unless the metal chloride is insoluble in aqueous solution eg, Ag or Hg ", the reaction products are removed from the metal or alloy surface by dissolution. The extent of removal is controUed by the local hydrodynamic conditions. 

Other Salts. Indium nitrate trihydrate [13770-61 -1], In(N02)3 3H20, is a soluble salt prepared by dissolution of the metal or oxide in nitric acid. Indium phosphate [14693-82-4], InPO, is precipitated by adding phosphate ions to a solution of an indium salt. It is soluble in water. 

The most common form of corrosion is uniform corrosion, in which the entire metal surface degrades at a near uniform rate (1 3). Often the surface is covered by the corrosion products. The msting of iron (qv) in a humid atmosphere or the tarnishing of copper (qv) or silver alloys in sulfur-containing environments are examples (see also SiLVERAND SILVER ALLOYS). High temperature, or dry, oxidation, is also usually uniform in character. Uniform corrosion, the most visible form of corrosion, is the least insidious because the weight lost by metal dissolution can be monitored and predicted. 

On the other hand, pit initiation which is the necessary precursor to propagation, is less well understood but is probably far more dependent on metallurgical structure. A detailed discussion of pit initiation is beyond the scope of this section. The two most widely accepted models are, however, as follows. Heine, etal. suggest that pit initiation on aluminium alloys occurs when chloride ions penetrate the passive oxide film by diffusion via lattice defects. McBee and Kruger indicate that this mechanism may also be applicable to pit initiation on iron. On the other hand, Evans has suggested that a pit initiates at a point on the surface where the rate of metal dissolution is momentarily high, with the result that more aggressive anions... 

The Role of Metal Dissolution or Volatiiisation in the Formation of Porous Oxides... 

Precipitation of fluoride compounds from solutions of hydrofluoric acid, HF, is performed by the addition of certain soluble compounds to solutions containing niobium or tantalum. Initial solutions can be prepared by dissolving metals or oxides of tantalum or niobium in HF solution. Naturally, a higher concentration of HF leads to a higher dissolution rate, but it is recommended to use a commercial 40-48% HF acid. A 70% HF solution is also available, but it is usually heavily contaminated by H2SiF6 and other impurities, and the handling of such solutions is extremely dangerous. 

An overview is presented of plutonium process chemistry at Rocky Flats and of research in progress to improve plutonium processing operations or to develop new processes. Both pyrochemical and aqueous methods are used to process plutonium metal scrap, oxide, and other residues. The pyrochemical processes currently in production include electrorefining, fluorination, hydriding, molten salt extraction, calcination, and reduction operations. Aqueous processing and waste treatment methods involve nitric acid dissolution, ion exchange, solvent extraction, and precipitation techniques. 

As mentioned, corrosion is complexly affected by the material itself and the environment, producing various kinds of surface films, e.g., oxide or hydroxide film. In the above reactions, both active sites for anodic and cathodic reactions are uniformly distributed over the metal surface, so that corrosion proceeds homogeneously on the surface. On the other hand, if those reaction sites are localized at particular places, metal dissolution does not take place uniformly, but develops only at specialized places. This is called local corrosion, pitting corrosion through passive-film breakdown on a metal surface is a typical example. 

In the polarization curve for anodic dissolution of iron in a phosphoric acid solution without CP ions, as shown in Fig. 3, we can see three different states of metal dissolution. The first is the active state at the potential region of the less noble metal where the metal dissolves actively, and the second is the passive state at the more noble region where metal dissolution barely proceeds. In the passive state, an extremely thin oxide film called a passive film is formed on the metal surface, so that metal dissolution is restricted. In the active state, on the contrary, the absence of the passive film leads to the dissolution from the bare metal surface. The difference of the dissolution current between the active and passive states is quite large for a system of an iron electrode in 1 mol m"3 sulfuric acid, the latter value is about 1/10,000 of the former value.6... 

Generally, such a remarkable restriction of metal dissolution results not only from the formation of a thin surface oxide film but also from the formation of a comparatively thick film such as silver chloride or zinc chloride. In this chapter, however, we use the term passive film only for compact and thin oxide films. 

Passivation of a metal electrode takes place when active metal dissolution competes with the formation of a surface oxide film. The adsorbed-... 

Anodic dissolution (oxidation) of the metal with the formation of soluble [reaction (16.1)] or insoluble [reaction (16.2)] products... 

Each of these reactions occurs in its own typical potential range. Several reactions may occur in parallel. The oxidation of solution components and the evolution of oxygen and chlorine are discussed in Chapter 15, the formation of surface layers in Section 16.3. In the present section we discuss anodic metal dissolution. 

In the anodic polarization of metals, surface layers of adsorbed oxygen are almost always formed by reactions of the type of (10.18) occurring in parallel with anodic dissolution, and sometimes, phase layers (films) of tfie metal s oxides or salts are also formed. Oxygen-containing layers often simply are produced upon contact of the metal with the solution (without anodic polarization) or with air (the air-oxidized surface state). 

Corrosion (from Latin corrodere, gnaw to pieces ) of metals is the spontaneous chemical (oxidative) destruction of metals under the elfect of their environment. Most often it follows an electrochemical mechanism, where anodic dissolution (oxidation) of the metal and cathodic reduction of an oxidizing agent occur as coupled reactions. Sometimes a chemical mechanism is observed. 

Corrosion is a mixed-electrode process in which parts of the surface act as cathodes, reducing oxygen to water, and other parts act as anodes, with metal dissolution the main reaction. As is well known, iron and ferrous alloys do not dissolve readily even though thermodynamically they would be expected to, The reason is that in the range of mixed potentials normally encountered, iron in neutral or slightly acidic or basic solutions passivates, that is it forms a layer of oxide or oxyhydroxide that inhibits further corrosion. 

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