The Role of Arsenic in Preventing the Dezincification of α-Brass

It is demonstrated by means of freely corroding total immersion tests and anodic and cathodic polarization experiments, that small amounts of arsenic in solid solution in α-brass, effectively prevent dezincification even in the most agressive media. On the other hand, the addition of relatively large amounts of arsenic ions to these corrosive solutions has little effect on the rate of dezincification of non-arsenical α-brass. Although a contribution towards a better understanding of the function of arsenic has been made, a clear-cut explanation of the mechanism appears to fall outside the scope of this experimentation.