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What Makes Stainless Steel Stainless?

2,200 views · Published 4 August 2015 · 1:03 · Indexed 10 October 2026

Channel: ScIQ · 2015 · People & Blogs

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Jamie The Intern: Stainless Steel is Cool

Ever wonder what makes stainless steel stainless? Jamie the Intern is here to explain.

SCRIPT
Stainless steel! It's in our spoons and our refrigerators and our razors but what makes it stainless? And how is different from regular steel? Normal steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. Iron – when it comes into contact with air and water oxidizes forming are oxide, also known as rust. After a while you have the pile of red dust and a reminder of your own mortality.
Enter chromium! When added to the alloy of iron and carbon, chromium will react to the oxygen in the air before the iron can.
Forming chromium oxide instead of iron oxide. Instead of turning red and flaking off like a bad sunburn. It's clear, it's hard and it sticks to steel – how bad ass would it be if whenever you got exposed to the elements you got a layer of clear hard armour around you.
Answer: very. It'd be so cool. Even cooler bit! If you scratch the chromium oxide and expose another of stainless steel to the air it just oxidizes again. Self-healing invisible armour! So next time you are eating ice cream, think about all the tiny chemical reactions forming invisible layers of protection around your spoon. Chemistry is so cool!
Video directed by Cara Burke
Written, starring, and edited by Jamie Mountain at YouTube Space New York

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