Which one rusts faster and why? Shipwrecks (1 Viewer)

[enigma_1]

Steel or iron??

 

[HeroicPandas]

Hm.. it might depend on the medium

I'd say steel because it's an alloy of iron

Here is something to cogitate about: Does pure iron rust faster than impure iron? Explain your reasoning

 

[enigma_1]

Yeah defs impure iron cause cathode is the impurities. But then somewhere I read that iron rusts faster than steel and i'm heaps confused. Thanks for your help btw

 

[Trebla]

Pretty sure it's iron...there is something called stainless steel lol

I suspect it is to do with the carbon content in steel which are less inclined to react with oxygen and water than iron atoms due to differences in their electron structures

 

[HeroicPandas]

Pretty sure it's iron...there is something called stainless steel lol

I suspect it is to do with the carbon content in steel which are less inclined to react with oxygen and water than iron atoms due to differences in their electron structures

Yeh yeh yeh... I honestly had in mind that iron rusts faster than steel because steel is an alloy of iron

What I was thinking while I typed up this post was: Which one is more corrosion resistant lol xD

 

[someth1ng]

I'm pretty sure iron rusts faster than steel but it's not by much for ordinary steel. For something like stainless steel, it forms a chromium(III) oxide layer which prevents/limits corrosion.