Corrosion control of copper in nitric acid solutions using some amino acids – A combined experimental and theoretical study

Inhibition performance of three amino acids, namely l-methionine (MIT), l-methionine sulfoxide (MITO) and l-methionine sulfone (MITO2), as corrosion-safe inhibitors for copper surface in 1.0 M nitric acid was investigated by weight loss, dc polarization and ac impedance techniques. A significant decrease in the corrosion rate of copper was observed in the presence of the investigated compounds. The reactivates of the compounds under investigation were analyzed through Fukui functions, to explain their inhibition performance. Simulation techniques incorporating molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics were used to simulate the adsorption of l-methionine derivatives, on copper (1 1 1) surface in nitric acid.