Natural
and fragrant
compounds, essential oils (EOs) extracted
from plants through hydrodistillation, are gaining popularity as eco-friendly
and sustainable agents to protect metals and alloys from corrosion
in acidic environments. This research focused on extracting and characterizing
an EO obtained from the
Cuminum cyminum
(CC) plant native to India. The study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory
properties of this EO on mild steel in a 0.5 M HCl solution at different
concentrations. Various analytical techniques, including potentiodynamic
polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, optical
microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and proton magnetic resonance,
were employed to assess the effectiveness of this EO extract. Our
findings indicate that the
Cuminum cyminum
L (CCL) extract effectively reduces the corrosion of mild steel
in hydrochloric acid with an inhibition efficiency ranging from 79.69
to 98.76%. The optimal inhibition concentration was 2 g/L of EO, and
surface analysis confirmed the formation of a protective layer. Furthermore,
our results suggest that the inhibitor binds to the metal surface
through a charge-transfer process, creating a protective film. Finally,
we utilized theoretical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations
to elucidate the inhibition mechanism on both a global and local scale.