Rocks and metals · Grade 8
What makes iron rust?
ChemAI · Worksheet
NameClassDate
Aim
Four tubes with an iron nail: water and air, dry air, boiled water under oil, salt water.
Before you start: what do you predict will happen? Why?
What you do
| Step | What I observed | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Put an iron nail in each tube. | |
| 2 | Press “+1 day” five times: a school week passes. | |
| 3 | Only tube 1 rusts. What does iron need to rust? | |
| 4 | Compare tubes 1 and 4: salt water makes rusting faster (cars near the sea!). |
Questions
- Write a word or symbol equation for one reaction you observed.
- Explain your most important observation using particles, ions or energy.
- Was your prediction right? What would you change to get a more reliable result?