Papers - Electrochemical Behavior of the Lead-tin Couple in Carbonate Solutions (T.P. 1447, with discussion)

The high corrosion resistance possessed by tin under most circumstances, combined with its generally satisfactory appearance and useful physical properties, has led to many and varied uses for the metal. These uses have been partly limited by the fact that tin is an expensive metal, therefore many applications have been developed in which tin has been employed in combination with lead, either by coating, as in tin-lined collapsible tubes, or by the formation of alloys containing various proportions of tin-rich and lead-rich phases, as tcrne plate. A detailed knowledge of the corrosion characteristics of the tin-lead couple therefore is of general interest and has become specially important at the present time, when every effort is being made to conserve tin as much as possible. The present study has been limited to carbonate solutions with a pH range from 8.4 to 11.2 so that the results may be related to earlier work on the corrosion of tin and its alloys. 1-3,6 In these papers, the effects of a number of anion and cation additions to these solutions have been observed. Apparatus and Method The electrodes for the corrosion cell were cut from rolled sheet about 1/16 in. thick. The length of all specimens was held constant at 7 in., while the width was varied from M to 2 in. These electrodes were fastened to brass electrode supports, which were attached to rubber stoppers fitting into tall-type one-liter Pyrex beakers that contained the electrolyte. The lead electrodes were prepared from Omaha pig* and the tin was rolled from a slab of Chempur.† After cutting to size, the sheets were polished with No. I emery paper and cleaned with carbon tetrachloride. The edges, back and upper parts of the specimen were coated with a synthetic lacquer, which was supplemented with beeswax for the lead electrodes. The binding posts were coated with beeswax after the electrodes had been clamped. The pH of the electrolyte was controlled by adjusting the ratio of carbonate to bicarbonate. Approximately 600 ml. of electrolyte was used in each beaker. The entire assembly was placed in an oil bath thermostatically adjusted to operate at 30°C. + 0.1". Potentials were measured against a saturated calomel electrode connected to the cell by an agar-agar salt bridge. The carbonate solution used in the salt bridge was the same as that used in the corrosion cell. Currents were measured with a milliam-