Competent inhibitor for the corrosion of zinc in hydrochloric acid based on 2,6-bis-[1-(2-phenylhydrazono)ethyl]pyridine

A novel compound, 2,6-bis-[1-(2-phenylhydrazono)ethyl]pyridine (BPEP), was synthesized and confirmed by NMR and IR spectroscopy. BPEP was examined as an inhibitor for the corrosion of zinc electrode in 1.0 M HCl. The inhibition efficiency of BPEP was assessed through various techniques such as hydrogen evolution, galvanostatic polarization, potentiodynamic anodic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The inhibiting action of BPEP was explained in terms of the formation of a stable complex between zinc ions and BPEP and then adsorbed onto the zinc surface. The formation of the complex was established by FT-IR spectroscopy. A conductometric titration indicated that the stoichiometry of Zn+2:BPEP (metal:ligand) is 1:1. The adsorption follows the Langmuir isotherm. The Galvanostatic polarization measurements have shown that the BPEP molecule acts as a mixed-type inhibitor. The pitting potential shifted in the noble direction, indicating that the inhibition of pitting corrosion of zinc in the presence of BPEP.The activation energy and themodyanamic parameters of the adsorption process were calculated and have been explained.