Rust

Benin altar
MFA# 1992.400

Description

A reddish powder composed of iron oxide and hydrated iron oxide that forms on the surface of Iron and iron alloys. Rust is formed by the Oxidation of iron in the presence of moisture. At least 40% humidity is required for the Corrosion to occur.

Synonyms and Related Terms

hydrated iron oxide; iron rust; red iron oxide; rust (Dan.); Rost (Deut., Sven.); rouille (Fr.); óxido (Esp.); roest (Ned.); ferrugem (Port.)

Corrosion
MFA# 2004.568

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Composition: 2Fe2O3 . 3H2O

Resources and Citations

• N.Binnie, 'Commercial Rust Conserverters: Surface Protection for Rusted Iron', Canadian Conservation Institute Publications, Conservation Information Database.

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust (Accessed Nov. 9, 2005)

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• ASTM, "Standard Terminology Relating to Paint, Varnish, Lacquer and Related Products", Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Section 6, Paints, Related Coatings and Aromatics, ASTM, D16, 7-Jan, Jul-96

• Susan E. Schur, Conservation Terminology: A review of Past & Current Nomenclature of Materials, Technology and Conservation, Spring (p.34-39); Summer (p.35-38); Fall (p.25-36), 1985