Question

What do you mean by corrosion? How can you prevent it?

Answer 1

Hint: Corrosion is an irreversible reaction of a metal with the components of the environment. The corrosion of a metal results in the consumption of the material or in dissolution into the material of a component of the environment.

Complete step by step answer:
The corrosion of a metal is defined as a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable form such as oxide, hydroxide, or sulphide. It is basically the gradual destruction of metal by chemical and/or electrochemical reaction with the environment. Corrosion is a dangerous and extremely costly problem. Because of it, buildings and bridges can collapse, oil pipelines break, chemical plants leak, and bathrooms flood.
Metal corrodes when it reacts with another substance such as oxygen, hydrogen, an electrical current or even dirt and bacteria. Corrosion can also happen when metals like steel are placed under too much stress causing the material to crack. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metal in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen or sulphates. Rusting, the formation of iron oxides, is a well-known example of electrochemical corrosion.

Corrosion can be prevented by various measures. Some of which are:
Using a suitable metal type: Corrosion can be prevented by using a corrosion resistant metal, such as aluminium or stainless steel.
By coating a metal surface with paint: Paint coatings act as a barrier to prevent the transfer of electrochemical charge from the corrosive solution to the metal underneath.
By sacrificial coating: Sacrificial coating involves coating the metal with an additional metal type that is more likely to oxidize.

Note: Remember that rusting is an example of corrosion. It is a special type of corrosion in which the corroding metal is iron, however, it is broadly used for all the metals.