Surface Coordination Chemistry: Corrosion Inhibition by Tetranuclear Cluster Formation of Iron with Salicylaldoxime

A tetranuclear iron cluster is the principal component of the purple coatings produced by treating a mild steel surface with a salicylaldoxime corrosion inhibitor. This was shown by comparison of the spectroscopic data with those of the cluster [{Fe(salH)(HsalH)}₄], which was obtained from FeCl₃ and salicylaldoxime (H₂salH) and has a distorted tetrahedral arrangement of Fe^III atoms coordinated by terminal (1−) and bridging (2−) salicylaldoximate ligands (the central core of the cluster is depicted).