Rust and Sea Water

[Bronson Mathos 1H]

Hello, I was wondering if someone could explain one of the last concepts covered in electrochemistry that I do not really understand and that is, why is it that sea water causes rusting faster than pure water?

[Ryan Agcaoili 2E]

Based on my understanding, I believe sea water causes faster rusting because the salt contains ions that makes the water more highly conductive of electricity, which increases the rate of the rusting.

[Chem_Mod]

Sea water is different from fresh water because of its high concentration of salt, which when dissolved created a solution high in electrolytes. These electrolytes facilitate the transfer of electrons making redox reactions (rusting) favorable.

[Mackenzie Stockton 2H]

sea water leads to rust formation because of the high concentration of salt, which dissolves to create an electrolyte rich solution , which transfer electrons to form rust

[Grace_Remphrey_2J]

Saltwater corrosion of metals happens faster than freshwater because of the increased presence of dissolved ions. These ions allow electrons to move faster on the metal, speeding up the formation of rust. Hope this helps!

[Sable Summerfield]

What exactly is an electrolyte?

[305561744]

Electrolytes are essentially charged minerals that assist with water balance in biological organisms.

[Ryan Khiev 1L]

Going off of Sable's question, do electrolytes come from salt bridges, the electrodes themselves, or both?

[William Huang 1K]

Metal rust is oxidation and with more ions in sea water from the salt, this increases the rate of oxidation.