The Corrosion Catastrophe: Uncovering Rust-Causing Liquids

Hi! My name is Gian, and I’m in Grade 7. My project is called “The Corrosion Catastrophe: Uncovering Rust‑Causing Liquids.”

I became interested in this topic because I kept seeing rust on cars, signs, and metal objects around my neighbourhood. I also learned that the Arlington Bridge here in Winnipeg was permanently closed because corrosion made it unsafe. Across Canada, corrosion is a huge problem. It costs over $51.9 billion every year to repair or replace rusted bridges, pipelines, water systems, and buildings. That made me want to understand what makes rust form faster or slower.

To find out, I placed identical iron nails into five liquids: vinegar, salt water, tap water, soda, and cooking oil. I observed them over 14 days.

I discovered that vinegar caused the most rust. Salt water caused a lot. Tap water caused some. Soda caused little to none. Oil stopped rust completely by blocking oxygen and water.

This matters because corrosion affects real structures like the Arlington Bridge in my city. When metal rusts faster, it becomes unsafe and needs expensive repairs. Understanding rust helps us protect buildings, cars, tools, and infrastructure and it also reduces waste and pollution.

BACKGROUND

I chose this project because I kept seeing rust on cars, bikes, signs, and other metal objects around my neighbourhood. It made me wonder why some things rust faster than others. I also learned that the Arlington Bridge in Winnipeg was permanently closed because corrosion made it unsafe. Across Canada, corrosion is a huge problem and it costs more than $51.9 billion every year to fix damaged bridges, pipelines, water systems, and buildings. This inspired me to investigate how rust forms and what makes it happen faster or slower.

PURPOSE

The purpose of my experiment is to learn how environmental liquids affect corrosion. Rusting is important to study because it leads to metal waste, expensive repairs, and more energy use to replace damaged materials. Understanding corrosion helps us protect metal used in buildings, transportation, and tools.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The main question I wanted to answer was: Which liquids cause the most rust on iron nails?

Rusting is a chemical reaction that needs iron, oxygen, and water. I tested everyday liquids like vinegar, salt water, tap water, soda, and oil to see how each one changes the rate of corrosion.

APPLICATION

My project can help builders, engineers, mechanics, and families protect metal objects. It also connects to climate change, since humidity, acid rain, and saltwater exposure all increase corrosion. By learning how to slow down rusting, we can reduce waste, save energy, lower pollution, and create safer, longer-lasting structures.

Background Research

For my project, I started by doing background research to understand what rust is and what causes it. I used reliable science websites such as Fizzics Education, Science Kids, and the Joint Research Centre, along with my classroom notes. I chose these sources because they explain chemistry at a level I can understand and are known to be trustworthy. From my research, I learned that rusting is a chemical reaction between iron, oxygen, and water, and that salt and acids can make rust form faster.

Experiment Design

I designed an experiment to test how five everyday liquids (tap water, salt water, vinegar, soda, and cooking oil) affect rusting.

To keep the test fair, I used the same type of jars, the same amount of liquid, and identical iron nails. These were my controlled variables. The only thing I changed was the liquid each nail was exposed to.

Materials

5 identical 2.5‑inch iron nails

5 mason jars with lids

5 liquids (tap water, salt water, vinegar, soda, oil)

Measuring tools, labels, notebook, and markers

Procedure

I drilled holes in each jar lid and hung one nail through the center hole so it didn’t touch the sides or bottom. I poured 75 mL of each liquid into its labeled jar and sealed the lids. I observed the nails every day for color changes, rust flakes, and liquid changes. I repeated the experiment six times, including trials with coated and uncoated nails, to see how protective layers affect corrosion.

Data Collection

I recorded all observations in a notebook and compared rust levels after one week and two weeks. This helped me notice patterns, such as vinegar causing the fastest rusting and oil preventing rust completely.

Results and Data Analysis

My experiment tested how five different liquids tap water, salt water, vinegar, soda, and cooking oil affected the rusting of iron nails. After running six trials and observing the nails for two weeks, I discovered clear patterns in how each liquid influenced corrosion.

The main finding was that vinegar caused the most corrosion, even more than salt water. Vinegar is acidic, and acids dissolve the protective layer on iron, allowing rust to form very quickly. In every trial, vinegar showed visible corrosion by Day 1.

Salt water caused the second‑most rust. Salt contains ions that help electrons move faster during the oxidation reaction. However, I discovered something unexpected: when the salt concentration was too high, rusting slowed down. This happened because extremely salty water holds less oxygen, and rusting requires oxygen + water. The best rusting mixture was 2 teaspoons of salt per cup of water.

Tap water caused moderate rusting. It rusted slower than salt water and vinegar but faster than soda and oil.

Soda mostly stained the nails dark brown or black but did not create real rust. The color change came from the soda’s dyes and sugar, not from corrosion.

Cooking oil prevented rust completely. Oil blocks oxygen and moisture from touching the metal, stopping the rusting reaction.

Across all trials, coated nails such as zinc‑coated screws and hot‑dipped galvanized nails—rusted much slower than uncoated nails. Zinc protects iron by acting as a barrier and by corroding first, which is called “sacrificial protection.”

When ranking the liquids from most to least rust, the order was:

Vinegar

Salt Water

Tap Water

Soda

Oil

These results show that acids and salts greatly speed up corrosion, while oils and protective coatings slow it down. This connects to real‑world environmental issues: acidic rain, salty ocean water, and increased humidity from climate change all accelerate rusting. Understanding these patterns helps us protect metal structures, reduce waste, and lower the environmental impact of corrosion.

So What?

My results showed that vinegar caused the most corrosion, followed by salt water and tap water. Soda mostly stained the nails, and oil prevented rust completely. I also learned that coated nails, like zinc‑coated or galvanized ones, rust much slower than uncoated nails. These findings helped me understand not just which liquids cause rust, but why rusting happens faster in certain environments.

The most important conclusion is that acids and salts greatly speed up corrosion, while oils and protective coatings slow it down. This explains why metal structures near oceans, in humid climates, or in areas with acid rain rust more quickly. It also shows why climate change brings more storms, moisture, and rising sea levels can increase corrosion in the real world.

I learned that rusting isn’t just a science reaction; it has environmental impacts. When metal rusts faster, it needs to be repaired or replaced. Making new metal uses a lot of energy, creates pollution, and produces greenhouse gases. Slowing down corrosion can help reduce waste and protect the environment.

Overall, my results show that understanding rust can help us design better coatings, choose better materials, and protect important structures like bridges, cars, tools, and buildings. This knowledge can help communities save resources and reduce environmental damage.

Reflections

To extend my project, I would test more liquids such as lemon juice, bleach, seawater, and rainwater to compare their effects on rusting. I could also try different metals like steel, copper, aluminum, and zinc to find out which ones resist rust the best. Another improvement would be studying how temperature, pH levels, and air exposure change the speed of corrosion. I would also repeat the experiment for a longer time to confirm the patters I observed. These next steps would help me understand corrosion more deeply and make my results even stronger.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the people who supported me throughout this project. First, I want to thank my teachers for guiding me through each step of the science project process. They helped me refine my question, understand the science behind corrosion, and improve the way I presented my results.

I also want to thank my family, especially my mom, for helping me gather materials, take photos, and stay organized. She encouraged me to keep going, even when the experiment took several weeks and many repeated trials.

I would also like to thank Bison Regional Science Fair for giving me this wonderful opportunity to share and improve my project to CWSF.

Finally, I appreciate everyone who gave feedback, asked questions, or showed interest in my project. Their support helped me think more deeply about my experiment and how it connects to the environment.

References

Chemistry & Corrosion Science

Britannica School. (n.d.). Corrosion. https://school.eb.com/levels Trusted because Britannica is a long‑established, expert‑reviewed encyclopedia used in schools.

Royal Society of Chemistry. (n.d.). Rusting of iron. https://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000352/rusting (rsc.org in Bing) Reliable because the RSC is a professional scientific organization with peer‑reviewed educational materials.

Corrosion Doctors. (n.d.). Basics of corrosion. https://www.corrosion-doctors.org/ Trusted because it is run by corrosion science experts and used by engineering students.

Climate Change & Environmental Impact

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (2023). Climate change: Impacts on coasts. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/climate/ (oceanservice.noaa.gov in Bing) NOAA is a U.S. government science agency known for accurate climate and ocean research.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Acid rain. https://www.epa.gov/acidrain The EPA provides scientifically verified environmental information and data.

NASA Climate Kids. (n.d.). What is climate change?. https://climatekids.nasa.gov/climate-change/ (climatekids.nasa.gov in Bing) NASA is a world‑leading scientific organization; Climate Kids explains concepts at a student level.

Government of Canada. (2023). Climate change and infrastructure. https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange.html (canada.ca in Bing) Reliable because it comes from Canada’s official environmental science department.

General Science Learning

Science Kids. (n.d.). Rusting and corrosion. https://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/chemistry/rust.html (sciencekids.co.nz in Bing) Educational site designed for students; information is simple, accurate, and classroom‑friendly.

Ducksters. (n.d.). Chemical reactions. https://www.ducksters.com/science/chemistry/chemical_reactions.php (ducksters.com in Bing) Trusted by teachers for clear explanations written for kids.

AI Assistance

Microsoft Copilot. (2024). AI‑generated text assistance for science fair project [Large language model]. https://copilot.microsoft.com Included because AI‑generated text must be cited according to science fair rules.