Weight loss studies showed that both 2-mercaptothiazoline and cetyl pyridinium chloride are effective for the inhibition of low carbon steel over a wide concentration range of aqueous phosphoric acid solution. The results for uninhibited acid confirm the kinetic expression proposed by Mathur and Vasudevan (Corrosion 38 (1982) 171). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.