Question:easy

What is the chemical formula of rust?

Show Hint

Rusting requires both oxygen and moisture. Iron does not rust in completely dry air or in water without dissolved oxygen.
Updated On: Jun 9, 2026
  • Hydrated ferrous oxide
  • Only ferric oxide
  • Hydrated ferric oxide
  • None of these
Show Solution

The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understand what rust is.
Rust is the reddish-brown layer that forms on iron when it is left in damp air. It is a kind of corrosion that slowly eats away iron objects.

Step 2: See how rust forms.
Iron reacts with both oxygen and water (moisture) from the air. In short, iron + oxygen + water gives rust.

Step 3: Note that water is part of rust.
Rust is not just dry iron oxide. It traps water molecules inside it, so it is called a hydrated oxide. The formula is $Fe_2O_3 \cdot xH_2O$.

Step 4: Identify the iron state.
The iron in rust is in the ferric form, that is $Fe^{3+}$. So the oxide is ferric oxide, $Fe_2O_3$, not ferrous oxide.

Step 5: Put it together.
Combining the ferric oxide with the trapped water, rust is hydrated ferric oxide.

Step 6: Check the options and conclude.
It is not ferrous (that is $Fe^{2+}$), and not pure dry ferric oxide because water is present. So rust is hydrated ferric oxide.
\[ \boxed{\text{Hydrated ferric oxide}} \]
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