DEALLOYING (Selective Leaching/ Demetalification, Parting and Selective

Corrosion)

Dealloying, also referred to as selective leaching, is a corrosion process in which the

more active metal is selectively removed from an alloy, leaving behind a porous
weak deposit of the more active noble metal.
In dealloying process, the metal is left brittle, spongy and porous, hence loses much
of its strength, hardness and ductility.

In some solid solution alloys, when in suitable conditions a component of the alloys
is preferentially leached from the material. The less noble metal is removed from the
alloy by a microscopic-scale galvanic corrosion mechanism. The most susceptible
alloys are the ones containing metals with high distance between each other in the
galvanic series, e.g. copper and zinc in brass. The elements most typically
undergoing selective removal are zinc, aluminum, iron, cobalt, chromium, and
others.

Leaching of Zinc
The most common example is selective leaching of zinc from brass alloys containing
more than 15% zinc (Dezincification) in the presence of oxygen and moisture, e.g.
from brass taps in chlorine containing water. It is believed that both copper and zinc
gradually dissolve out simultaneously, and copper precipitates back from the
solution. The material remaining is a copper-rich sponge with poor mechanical
properties, and a color changed from yellow to red.

Graphitic Corrosion
Graphitic corrosion is selective leaching of iron from grey cast iron, where iron gets
removed and graphite grains remain intact. Affected surfaces develop a layer of
graphite, rust, and metallurgical impurities that may inhibit further leaching.

Leaching of Other Elements

Specific categories of dealloying often carry the name of the dissolved element. For
example, the preferential leaching of zinc from brass is called dezincification. If
aluminium is removed the process is called dealuminification. In the case of gray
iron, dealloying is called graphitic corrosion.
Dealuminification is a corresponding process for aluminum alloys. Similar effects for
different metals are decarburization (removal of carbon from the surface of alloy),
decobaltification, denickelification, etc.
The table below shows the combination of alloys and environments subject to
dealloying and elements preferentially removed.

ALLOY
Brasses/Zinc
Gray Iron
Aluminium bronzes
Silicon bronzes
Copper nickels

Tin bronzes

ENVIRONMENT
Water, especially stagnant
water
Soils, water
Hydrofluoric acid, acids
containing chloride ions
High temperature steam
and acidic species
High heat flux and low
water velocity (refinery
condenser tubes)
Hot brine or steam

PREVENTION OF DEALLOYING CORROSION

Use of Inhibitors
Avoidance of stagnant water

ELEMENT REMOVED
Zinc (dezincification)
Iron (graphic corrosion)
Aluminium
(dealuminification)
Silicon (desiliconification)
Nickel (denickelification)

Tin (destannification)

 Raise water pH to neutral or slightly alkaline level to decrease attack.

Substantial reduction of graphitic corrosion by alloying the cast iron with
nickel.
Using alloys not susceptible to grain boundary depletion
Using a suitable heat treatment
Alteration of the environment (e.g. lowering oxygen content)
Use of cathodic protection.

Uses
Selective leaching can be used to produce powdered materials with extremely high
surface area, such as Raney nickel. Selective leaching can be the pre-final stage of
depletion gilding.