1,2,3-Triazole derivatives as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in acidic medium: Experimental and computational chemistry studies

(1-Benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-yl)methanol (BTM) and (1-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)-1H-1,2,3- triazole-4-yl)methanol (PTM) were prepared and investigated as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in 1.0 M HCl. It is found that PTM functions as more effective inhibitor than BTM in the concentration range of 0.2 −1.0 mM. Computational chemistry studies show that the triazole derivatives can adsorb on the mild steel surface by sharing the lone pair electrons of N atoms with iron atoms or by accepting electrons from iron surfaces. Due to its strong interaction with the mild steel surface in aqueous system, the pyridine segment should be responsible for the higher inhibition efficiency of PTM.