The Kinetics of the Initial Corrosion of Copper in Aqueous Solutions

In order to determine the mechanism and rate of corrosion of copper in aqueous solution before diffusion through a film of products becomes rate‐determining, a system involving an electroreduction cell coupled to a recording electronic voltmeter has been constructed that makes possible the determination of the thickness of very thin films of corrosion products on the copper surface. These data are used to determine the rate laws regulating the corrosion of the metal and to evaluate the specific rate constant for the initial corrosion process. A mechanism and rate law are proposed for the initial corrosion process.