Discipline: Chemistry and Chemical Sciences
Subcategory: Chemistry (not Biochemistry)
Session: 2
Room: Park Tower 8209
Demetrius Finley - Tuskegee University
Co-Author(s): Dr. Michael Curry, Dr. George Kraus
Corrosion is the process by which metal is oxidized by nearby oxygen in the atmosphere. Metal is utilized in many different industries such as the construction industry, the petroleum industry, and the medical industry thus corrosion inhibition is a major concern for a variety of reasons. Many methods have been reported to combat the corrosion issue. One such method is applying a corrosion inhibitor but due to their toxicity they have an extremely negative impact on the environment. To combat this recent research efforts have been focused on finding environmentally friendly alternatives to these commonly used corrosion inhibitors. Coumalic acid is a carboxylic acid that is naturally occurring and easily synthesized. Although this compound shows very good corrosion inhibition, the compound pales when compared to the industry standard. Our group has discovered that once Coumalic acid is modified via esterification it shows corrosion inhibition comparable to that of the industry standard. This corrosion inhibitor in theory could essentially replace the industry standard and rid the environment of toxic, potentially dangerous pollutants that result from the use of corrosion inhibitors.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): CREST
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Micheal Curry, mcurry@tuskegee.edu
Role: The corrosion inhibition testing.