Inhibitive action of ethanol extracts from Nauclea latifolia on the corrosion of mild steel in H2SO4 solutions and their adsorption characteristics

The inhibitive action of ethanol extracts from leaves (LV), bark (BK) and roots (RT) of Nauclea latifolia on mild steel corrosion in H₂SO₄ solutions at 30–60 °C was studied using weight loss and gasometric techniques. The extracts were found to inhibit the corrosion of mild steel in H₂SO₄ solutions and the inhibition efficiencies of the extracts follow the trend: RT > LV > BK. The inhibition efficiency increased with the extracts concentration but decreased with temperature rise. Physical adsorption of the phytochemical components of the plant on the metal surface is proposed as the mechanism of inhibition. The adsorption characteristics of the inhibitor were approximated by the thermodynamic-kinetic model of El-Awady et al.