Resorcinol Derivative as an Environmentally Friendly Low Carbon Steel Inhibitor in HCl Medium

[Image: see text] An ecofriendly resorcinol derivative, dimethyl-4,6-dihydroxyisophthalate (DDIP) is examined as an anticorrosion agent for low carbon steel (CS) in a 0.5 mol L(–1) HCl solution. Electrochemical and chemical methods are used to determine the effectiveness of the inhibitor. The DDIP compound decreased the rate of CS corrosion. The mitigation efficiency rose from 61.8 to 79.9% as the DDIP dose increased from 50 to 300 ppm in the corrosive medium. At 300 ppm, however, the efficiency decreased from 79.9 to 70.05% as the temperature increased from 25 to 55 °C. Physical quantities and thermodynamic parameters are discussed. The compound’s adsorption follows Langmuir’s concept. Adsorption of the DDIP compound is a mix of physisorption and chemisorption. The difference in E(corr) values is less than 85 mV, indicating that the examined compound is a mixed-type inhibitor. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed the development of a coherent film at CS in the presence of the DDIP inhibitor. The results obtained using various techniques were closely related, indicating validity and accuracy. The interaction between the DDIP molecules and the CS was explained by the density functional theory and Monte Carlo simulation. The quantum characteristics confirmed that the DDIP compound is a promising inhibitor.