Abstract
A CHEMICAL process in which one of the reacting substances and also the product of the reaction are solid has one feature not shown when the product is gaseous or liquid; the product must necessarily form a barrier between the reacting substances, so that the reaction can only proceed either if the product is continually removed, or if the reacting substances can penetrate the barrier. In the oxidation of metals the rate of the reaction is almost entirely controlled by the rate at which metal or oxygen can penetrate the oxide layer. In general, as the oxide layer becomes thicker, the rate of reaction becomes slower. In some metals, notably aluminium, chromium and probably zinc below 225° C, oxidation stops altogether when the film has reached a thickness of the order of 10″6 cm., the protective film thus formed preventing further attack. The discussion of these protective films will be one of the chief purposes of this article
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MOTT, N. Oxidation of Metals and the Formation of Protective Films. Nature 145, 996–1000 (1940). https://doi.org/10.1038/145996a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/145996a0
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