The most regular example of corrosion is the rusting of iron (which is used to make steel), a chemical reaction in which the iron combines with both oxygen and water to form hydrated iron oxide. The oxide is a solid that is porous, somewhat bulkier than the iron from which it is formed and is very brittle.

Three methods may be used to prevent the rusting of iron:

1. Alloying the iron so that it will be chemically resistant to corrosion.
2. Coating it with a material that will react with the corroding substances more readily than the iron does and thus, while being consumed, protect the iron. Zinc is the metal normally used in this process
3. Covering it with an impermeable surface coating so that air and water cannot reach it. The alloying method is best but is the most expensive. A good example is stainless steel, in which chromium or chromium and nickel are alloyed with the iron; this alloy is not only absolutely rustproof but will even resist the action of such corrosive chemicals as hot, concentrated nitric acid. The second method, protection with an active metal, is also satisfactory, but expensive. The most common example is galvanised iron, which is iron covered with zinc. In the presence of corrosive solutions, an electric potential is set up between the iron and the zinc, causing the zinc to dissolve but protecting the iron as long as any zinc remains. The third method, protection by coating the surface with an impermeable layer, is the least expensive and therefore the most common. It is satisfactory as long as no crack appears in the coating. Once the coating cracks, however, rusting proceeds at least as fast as it would with no protection. If the protective layer is a metal such as tin or chromium, an electric potential is set up, protecting the layer but acting on the iron and causing the rusting to proceed at an accelerated rate. The best coatings are baked enamels however the least expensive are such paints as red lead.

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