http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJeXwsl87us

Someone had showed this to me and I started to get to thinking. Has anyone tried this before? If it works, it seems very amazing to use a chemical reaction to reverse one.

If rust is: 4 Fe + 3 O2 -> 2 Fe2O3
That's 4 Irons + 3 Oxygens Resulting in 2 Iron oxides.

That must mean we must: 2 Fe2O3 + Na2CO3 + H2O -> 2 H + 4 Fe + 2 O2 + Na2CO3
That's 2 Ironoxide III (rust) + SodiumCarbonate + Water Resulting 2 Hydrogen gas +4 Irons + 2 Oxygen gas + SodiumCarbonate?
I probably don't have this correct; but the point is, has anyone tried the technique and how effective is it should it have worked?

BTW, I have no chem classes so that equation is probably wrong...

 

Your equation is wrong. The sodium carbonate isn't doing anything in the reaction... unless you're missing a part of the reaction. Which I think you are. They actually sell products that do this conversion: Like RustBullet for instance.

 

It's not a very amazing reaction, just electrolysis.

Wire wheel is cheaper, easier and faster.

 

I'll go with the wire wheel idea since I already have that and that's what I have been using. This just sounds smarter because it's electric! Alrighty then thanks!

 

I didn't bother to balance the equation in depth, but the sodium carbonate could just be a catalyst. Catalysts help reactions, but remain unchanged. A common example would be the platinum found in catalytic converters.

 

Then it should be a three phase chemical equation. Primary->Secondary->Final

 

Oh ok, last chem course I had was 2+ years ago, and I haven't used it since. Those semantics details are the first I forget.

 

It's okay--we only really care about the end result anyhow