6 Effects of different liquids on a nail

Effects of different liquids on a nail

Problem- I am trying to find out which liquid will make the nail rust more and which one will rust the fastest.

Hypothesis-I predict that the bleach will make the nail rust more because I know that bleach is a strong chemical and it smells powerful. I also think that it will rust more because if it comes near clothes it will turn it white.

Procedure-

• 1. I collected 5 empty water bottles

  2. I measured out 3 inches on each water bottle and poured the different liquids in

  3. I labeled each bottle with the liquid name

  4. I put the nails in the liquids and put the lids back on

  5. I put the water bottles in their holders

Conclusion- My hypothesis was correct because the bleach corroded the nail more than any of the other liquids. The tap water was almost the same as the bleach but not quite. I was surprised that the nail in the bleach still weighed the same as the other nails even though it looked rusted and corroded. When I did this project I did not wear and goggles or mask. I think the next time I do something like this, I should wear goggles and gloves. Even though the nails still weighed the same at the end of the experiment, the nail in the bleach was clearly more corroded and rusted than the others. I learned that bleach is a powerful chemical and that it should be used carefully so it doesn’t ruin items in your house. I could improve this project by using different measurement to weigh the nails. I could also switch the liquids to non- chemical. I also know that if you get bleach anywhere, it will completely ruin it.

Abstract- Which liquid will corrode the nail the most? Tap water, brake fluid, bleach, citrus spray, or Super Clean? I predicted that the bleach would make the nail rust more because bleach is a strong chemical and it smells powerful. Bleach effects clothes and other materials, so it would effect the nail also. I chose to experiment on a nail because it represents metal in general and is a cheap source of material to experiment on.

My PopPop helped me collect five empty water bottles, five finishing nails, five different household liquids, and a holder to keep the bottles in. Once I got all the materials together, I labeled each bottle with the name of a different fluid using a permanent marker. Then I filled each bottle with three inches of a different fluid. It was important to have adult supervision during this step because the chemicals are toxic. I wore gloves and we did this in the garage. Next, I weighed a nail so I would have a starting weight and recorded the number. Then I put a nail in each bottle and put the lids on tightly. Finally, I put the bottles in a holder, so they didn’t fall over. After one week, I took each nail out of the bottle to weigh them and record the data. The nails were put back into the bottles after being weighed.

After one week of the nails sitting in the liquids, I noticed some changes. The nail in the bleach was starting to turn orange. The tap water was turning orange in that bottle, but the nail was still the same. The nails with the brake fluid, citrus spray and Super Clean had no changes. Almost three weeks later, the results were similar to the results from the first week. The nail in the bleach was even more rusty and there was cloudy gunk at the bottom of the bottle. The tap water was even more orange and the nail had some rust. The nail in the brake fluid had just a little rust on it. The other nails had no change in weight for each.

My hypothesis was correct because the bleach corroded the nail more than any of the other liquids. I was surprised that the nail in the bleach still weighed the same as the other nails even though it looked rusted and corroded. I was careful to return the nails back to the correct bottle after weighting them, so I didn’t mess up the results. Even though the nails still weighed the same at the end of the experiment, the nail in the bleach was clearly more corroded and rusted than the others. I learned that bleach is a powerful chemical and that it should be used carefully so it doesn’t ruin items in your house. I could improve this project by using different measurement to weigh the nails. I could also switch the liquids to non- chemical.