Invisible shield! Aluminium and Oxygen
Aluminium reacts with oxygen straight away, but only on the very surface. It makes a super thin see-through layer that protects the metal underneath.
The result
- What it makes
- Aluminium oxide
- Equation
- 4Al + 3O₂ → 2Al₂O₃
- When it happens
- At room temperature
Fun fact from Fizzy: That invisible layer is why soda cans do not rust!