Synthesis and Characterization of Some Amino Acid Derived Schiff Bases Bearing Nonionic Species as Corrosion Inhibitors for Carbon Steel in 2N HCl

Abstract

A novel series of nonionic amino acid Schiff-Bases were synthesized and characterized using different spectroscopic tools to elucidate their chemical structures. The surface and thermodynamic properties of these compounds were studied using classical measurements including surface and interfacial tension and emulsification tendency. The surface parameters of these compounds including surface tension, critical micelle concentration (CMC), effectiveness (π_cmc), efficiency (Pc₂₀), maximum surface excess (Γ_max), and minimum surface area (A_min) showed their good surface activity. Their thermodynamic parameters of adsorption and micellization including free energy change of micellization and adsorption showed their tendency toward adsorption at the interfaces and also micelle formation at lower concentrations. The synthesized compounds were also evaluated as corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel at different doses (400, 200, 100, 50, and 25 ppm) in 2 N HCl using gravimetric technique (weight loss). The results showed that these inhibitors are characterized by very high corrosion inhibition efficiency ranged between 99.93% and 97.98% and low corrosion rates varied between 0.09 mpy and 0.17 mpy for higher doses (400 ppm). The efficiency of inhibition was decreased by increasing the exposure time. The most efficient corrosion inhibitor of the synthesized compounds was the inhibitor which contains polyethylene oxide chain length of 23 EO units and alkyl chain length of 12 methylene groups. The effect of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic chain length in the inhibitor molecules was discussed and rationalized with their inhibition efficiency. The tendency of these inhibitors toward complexation with the transition metals was also discussed in order to explain their higher efficiency.

Keywords:

• Adsorption
• aminoacid nonionic Schiff base
• corrosion rate
• inhibition efficiency
• micellization
• surface coverage

Notes

CMC: critical micelle concentration, π_cmc: effectiveness, Pc₂₀: efficiency, Γ_max; maximum surface excess, A_min: minimum surface area per molecule.