Corrosion inhibition studies of mild steel using Acalypha chamaedrifolia leaves extract in hydrochloric acid medium

The study investigates corrosion inhibition of mild steel in acid medium using Acalypha chamaedrifolia leaves extract as potential inhibitor. Gravimetric (weight loss) technique was used for the corrosion studies. The results show that corrosion rates dropped from a value of 0.49 mg cm−2 h−1 for the uninhibited medium to a value of 0.15 mg cm−2 h−1 for the inhibited medium of 1 M HCl in 0.25 g/L of the extract. The Adsorption process fit into the Langmuir isotherm model with a correlation coefficient of 0.97. Evidence from molecular dynamics model shows that Methyl stearate (line 5) and (3Z,13Z)-2-methyloctadeca-3,13-dien-1-ol (line 11) were found to have the highest binding energy of − 197.69 ± 3.12 and − 194.56 ± 10.04 in kcal/mol respectively.