Essential oil from fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) (FM) was tested as corrosion inhibitor of carbon steel in 1 M HCl using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Tafel polarisation methods and weight loss measurements. The results show that the increase of the charge-transfer resistance (R ct ) with the oil concentration supports the molecules of oil adsorption on the metallic surface. The polarization plots reveal that the addition of natural oil shifts the cathodic and anodic branches towards lower currents. Such shifts indicate that FM oil acts as a mixed-type inhibitor. The global rate of corrosion estimated by weight loss measurements confirms the above results. The inhibition efficiency attains a maximum of 76 % at 3 mL/L, but decreases with the rise of temperature. The analysis of FM oil, obtained by hydro-distillation, using Gas Chromatography (GC) and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) showed that the major components were limonene (20.8 %) and β-pinene (17.8%). The adsorption of FM on the steel surface has been discussed according to the chemical composition of the oil, giving an explanation to the obtained results.

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