Whitney Award Lecture—1981: New Data on the Mechanism of Metals Protection with Inhibitors

Understanding of the mechanism of metal passivation with inhibitors requires detailed knowledge of the character of adsorption, the nature of the chemical bonding, the valent state of the adsorbed particles, etc. This study demonstrated that quantum chemistry calculations, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy methods, radioactive tracers, chemical polarization can provide valuable information. Inhibition of corrosion processes, like same passivity, can be caused by the generation on metal surfaces of both adsorption and phase layers. An example of adsorption inhibition may be found in the pitting corrosion prevention of stainless steels. 16 references.