Question

What happens during rusting of an iron nail?

Iron and sulfur combine to form iron sulfide.
Iron and sulfur combine to form iron sulfide.

Sulfur, iron, and oxygen combine to form iron sulfoxide.
Sulfur, iron, and oxygen combine to form iron sulfoxide.

Iron and oxygen combine to form iron oxide.
Iron and oxygen combine to form iron oxide.

Sulfur and oxygen combine to form a sulfur dioxide coating.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
During the rusting of an iron nail, the primary chemical reaction involves the combination of iron (Fe) with oxygen (O2) from the air and moisture (H2O) to form iron oxide, commonly known as rust (Fe2O3·nH2O, where 'n' indicates varying amounts of water).

The process can be summarized as follows:

1. **Oxidation of Iron:** Iron atoms lose electrons in the presence of oxygen and water, resulting in the formation of iron ions (Fe²⁺).
\[ \text{4Fe} + \text{3O}_2 + \text{6H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow \text{4Fe(OH)}_3 \]

2. **Formation of Rust:** The iron hydroxide can further dehydrate and oxidize to form rust, which is primarily hydrated iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3·nH2O).
\[ \text{4Fe(OH)}_3 \rightarrow \text{2Fe}_2\text{O}_3 \cdot \text{3H}_2\text{O} + \text{other products} \]

Thus, the correct statement from your list is:

**Iron and oxygen combine to form iron oxide.**

The other statements regarding sulfur and the formation of compounds like iron sulfide or iron sulfoxide are not involved in the rusting process of iron. Rusting specifically involves iron, oxygen, and water.
so what's the answer?
GPT-4o mini
The answer is:

**Iron and oxygen combine to form iron oxide.**

This describes the primary reaction that occurs during the rusting of iron.

Related Questions