THE EFFECT OF NITROGEN-OXIDES IN ATMOSPHERIC CORROSION OF METALS

This paper is a state of the art survey on the current understanding o f the effect of the atmospheric nitrogen oxides on structural material s. Atmospheric nitrogen dioxide, its chemistry, and its effect on meta ls are considered, particularly on steel, copper and zinc. It is shown that the detrimental effects of nitrogen dioxide are not well known. A number of conclusions are made which may improve further work in ord er to obtain a better understanding of the role of nitrogen dioxide an d the controlling factors in the corrosion behaviour of materials in t he atmosphere.