In an acid environment, which metals will be corroded according to their activity compared to hydrogen?

In an acid environment, the process of corrosion is closely related to the reactivity of metals compared to hydrogen. Metals that are more active than hydrogen in the electrochemical series will corrode when exposed to acids. This is because these metals can displace hydrogen ions from the acid, resulting in the release of hydrogen gas and the degradation of the metal itself.

When a metal that is more active than hydrogen meets an acid, it undergoes a reaction where it loses electrons and dissolves into the solution as metal ions. This is why such metals are susceptible to corrosion in acidic conditions; they have a higher tendency to oxidize than hydrogen, which means they will react more readily with the acidic medium.

In contrast, metals that are less active than hydrogen will not corrode because they are unable to displace hydrogen ions from the acid. Similarly, metals that are equal to or less active than hydrogen do not react in a way that leads to corrosion in an acidic environment. Hence, only those metals that are more reactive than hydrogen are at risk of corrosion in this scenario.