Effect of optimized structure and electronic properties of some benzimidazole derivatives on corrosion inhibition of mild steel in hydrochloric acid medium: Electrochemical and theoretical studies

The corrosion inhibitive action of a few benzimidazole derivatives namely 2-(benzamido) ethylbenzimidazole (BAEBI), 2-( β -benzenesulphonamido) ethylbenzimidazole (BSAEBI), 2-(benzamido) methylbenzimidazole (BAMBI) and 2-( β -benzenesulphonamido) methylbenzimidazole (BSAMBI), towards mild steel in hydrochloric acid has been studied using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) methods. The results show that these compounds get adsorbed on the mild steel surface following Temkin adsorption isotherm, and act as mixed-type inhibitors. The inhibition efficiencies are found to follow the order, BAEBI > BSAEBI > BAMBI > BSAMBI. This observation is explained in terms of chain length, relative effects of amido and sulphonamido groups, possible structural factors, spatial orientations, energy gap between the frontier molecular orbitals, different intrinsic molecular parameters, like, global hardness and softness, and number of electrons transferred. Graphical Abstract Corrosion inhibition property of four different benzamido and benzenesulphonamido derivatives of methylbenzimidazole and ethylbenzimidazole for mild steel in HCl depends on various molecular parameters, including chain length, substituent group, spatial orientation, energy gap between the frontier molecular orbitals, global hardness, softness, and number of electron transferred.