Leyte National High School

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LEYTE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

TACLOBAN CITY

S.Y. 2011-2012

______________________________

A CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE OF

OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DURING

RUST FORMATION THROUGH CANDLE

COMBUSTION IN THE GLASS JAR

________________________________

Submitted to:

Researched by:

Gerard S. Cabaluna

IV-Einstein

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT



The researcher would like to give his profound thanks to those who assisted him in the

composition of this research. For without your generosity on sharing a moment of your invaluable time

and knowledge, this research wouldn’t have been finished.

To my family, for allotting bits of information they knew and giving corrections to his work to

make the research complete.

To my classmates and friends for their suggestions which contributed in the study become a

success.

And most of all, to the Almighty God, for His constant love, guidance and protection which in

one way or another and in times he didn’t know made this research become complete.

- The Researcher -

STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

THE RESEARCH PROBLEMS



The main problem of the research is to confirm if there is oxygen consumption in the

environment in the rust formation process gradually happening in our environment tested in a small scale

controlled environment experimentation. Specifically, this study attempts to answer the following

questions:

1. Can iron combine with water and oxygen to form rust?

2. Will the corrosion (rusting process) of the iron consume the oxygen within the setup when a

lighted candle was placed, reduces the life of fire which also requires oxygen?

3. Will the setup with an empty glass jar, when a lighted candle was placed inside, burn the

fastest or the same with the other setup?

THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the research is to confirm if there is oxygen consumption in the

environment in the rust formation process gradually happening in our environment tested in a small scale

controlled environment experimentation. Specifically, this study attempts to answer the following

research objectives:

1. To show the combination of water and oxygen to form rust.

2. To find out that corrosion of the iron consumes oxygen or not within the setup when a lighted

candle was placed, reduces the life of fire, which also requires oxygen.

3. To identify what setup, when a lighted candle is placed inside, will burn the fastest or the

same with the other setup.

THE HYPOTHESES

Before the experimentation, the researcher formulated hypotheses based on the identified research

questions:



NULL HYPOTHESES

1. Iron will not combine with water and oxygen to form rust.

2. The corrosion of the iron will not consume oxygen within the setup when a lighted candle

was placed maintaining the same length of life of the fire which also requires oxygen.

3. The setup with an empty glass jar, when a lighted candle was placed inside will burn the

same with the other setup.

ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESES

1. The iron will combine with water and oxygen to form rust.

2. The corrosion of the iron will consume oxygen within the setup when a lighted candle was

placed making the life of the fire which also requires oxygen shorter.

3. The setup with an empty jar, when a lighted candle was placed inside will burn the fastest.

THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES INTERVENING VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLES

The two glass jars of the same

size labeled “A” and “B”

The presence of a wet steel wool

inside one of the glass jar

The length of the life of the

candle fire with or without the

presence of the corroding iron

(steel wool)

ASSUMPTIONS

The researcher found out some citations about rusting which are presumed to be true about the

research problem which are as follows:



1. Corrosion, partial or complete wearing away, dissolving, or softening of any substance by

chemical or electrochemical reaction with its environment. The term corrosion

specifically applies to the gradual action of natural agents, such as air or salt water, on

metals.

The most familiar example of corrosion is the rusting of iron, a complex chemical reaction in

which the iron combines with both oxygen and water to form hydrated iron oxide. The term

corrosion specifically applies to the gradual action of natural agents, such as air or salt water, on

metals. ("Corrosion." Microsoft® Student 2008 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft

Corporation, 2007)

2. Corrosion is the natural deterioration of a material as a result of its interaction with its

environment. It is applied mostly to metals and particularly to their reaction with oxygen, or

rusting; all materials however, are subjects to surface deterioration. Generally, the processes are

chemical or electrochemical, although physical and mechanical factors contribute to the

corrosion. (Corrosion, Vol. 5 p. 269, Grolier: Encyclopaedia of Knowledge. Grolier Inc. Danbury,

Canada, 1995)

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

For many years, many of us wonder why what causes the corrosion of the metallic material we have.

Although there are already recent advances in slowing this process the research can help those who still

need information for them to understand this process.



In some ways, this study can enlighten everyone that the more we are knowledgeable about this

process, the more that we can make the process slow even without the great advances in technology such

as resistant surface coating application to the metals in which we can lengthen the life of our materials

especially the things made up of metals.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The study was limited to only two setups which is enough to reduce the environment to a small scale

not completely proportional because there is no presence of the biological and non-biological factors

found in the actual environment.

The setups were to be left for not less than one day for the corrosion within the other setup to start

and for the result to become acceptable.

Each candle was reduced to be one and a half inch (1 1/2 inches) in length because of the size of the

glass jars.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

There are ways of defining the key terms used in this study. These are (1) conceptual and (2)

operational. In this research, the researcher used the conceptual definition to define and characterize the

key terminologies used in this study.

1. Corrosion - destruction by chemical action: a process by which something, especially a metal, is

destroyed progressively by chemical action, as iron is when it rusts.

2. Rust - reddish brown coating on metal: a reddish brown coating of iron oxide on the surface of

iron or steel that forms when the metal is exposed to air and moisture

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE



This experiment looks into the process of rusting. Rust is a compound consisting of oxygen, iron,

and water. Rust forms when iron is exposed to air and water. Unlike combustion, rusting is a slower

process that takes more time. However, both of these reactions need oxygen to proceed.

In this experiment, the steel, which contains iron, combined with the oxygen in the air and water

to form rust. Since the jar where the steel was placed was sealed, any oxygen that was in the jar would

have been used in the rusting process. This is why the candle, once placed inside the jar with the steel,

should burn up for a much shorter time since the oxygen needed for the candle to burn was already used

up in the rusting process. (G.C. Santos, A. Danac. I- Chemistry (Investigatory Chemistry. Rex, First

Edition.2006, p. 505)

METHODOLOGY

MATERIALS

steel wool 2 candles

2 glass jars with lids match

water clay

PROCEDURE

1. Wet the piece of steel wool and place it inside one of the jars.

2. Close the lid tight on both jars and leave them alone for at least one day.

3. Place clay on the bottom of both candles so that they can be fastened onto a surface.

4. Open both jars and remove the piece of steel wool.

5. Place the candles in both jars and light them.

DOCUMENTATION



ANALYSIS OF DATA

OBSERVATION

SETUP “A” SETUP “B”



(empty jar) (jar with a steel wool)

Fire lasted for 12.8 seconds Fire lasted only for 2.6 seconds

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The experiment focuses in the process of rusting. setup “B,” the setup with the steel wool

underwent corrosion because a reddish substance was seen in the steel wool. The other setup remained

constant and nothing occurred inside it.

The fire in setup “A” lasted for more than ten (10) seconds because the oxygen content remained

the same and was only used up when the candle was placed inside it and was lit. Setup “B,” on the other

hand, has less oxygen content than the first because a rusting process took place and used up some

oxygen inside the jar making the fire lasted only for less than three (3) seconds.

In the experiment, the steel wool, combined with the oxygen in the air inside it and the water to

form rust using up oxygen. Because fire uses oxygen as a fuel, it quickly used up every oxygen left inside

the jar unlike the other setup.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSION

To form rust, iron combines readily with oxygen and water which adds to the consumption of

oxygen when the candle was lit and remains the reason of the fire lasting only for a short time. It is

confirmed that rusting really utilizes oxygen.

RECOMMENDATIONS

For the experiment to be understood by everyone and to make it even better, a better controlled

environment proportional to the actual one containing biological and non-biological factors to show real –

life rusting process and how it affect our environment and us.



Deeper research on actual rusting process occurrence is another recommendation for us to see a

corrosion occurring first hand in just a moment. A visualization of it and how it occurs is even better.

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