Abstract
An investigation of the mode of action of the corrosion inhibitor oleic imidazoline has been carried out using corrosion testing, second harmonic generation at surfaces and molecular modelling techniques. Selected variations to the molecular structure have been made to elucidate the relevant roles of the constituent parts of the molecule. Results show that the molecule is primarily bonding through the five-membered nitrogen ring which is lying planar to the metal surface, that the long hydrocarbon chain is playing an important role in the mechanism of inhibition, and that varying the chemistry of the pendant side chain does not affect the performance of the molecule to a major extent.
