CORROSION OF BRASS BY ACETIC ACID AND CHLOROSUBSTITUTED ACETIC ACIDS.

The corrosion of alpha and alpha plus beta brass in acetic and chlorosubstituted acetic acids is due to the capability of acetate ions to form complex compounds with copper and zinc, and the electrochemical behavior of redeposited copper on the brass surface. The aggressiveness of the media studied increases with the number of chlorine atoms and also depends on the type of the brass. Trichloroacetic acid, e. g. , attacks 80-20 brass by an electrochemical mechanism in which the redeposited copper plays an important part, whereas 59-41 brass is attacked by ″leaching″ .