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NoExpertAtAll t1_j65euqd wrote

Simply said:Rusting is a process in which electrons must be released from the iron. The more charged ions present, the easier this is, as the conductivity of water (rain, melted snow) is increased. Road salt is a wild mixture of sodium chloride, magnesium chloride and other salts. This massively increases the conductivity of water, making it easier to rust.

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Krispy_Kolonel t1_j65h9ct wrote

It’s the same reason things rust faster at the beach or in the ocean. More salt=more conductivity, increasing the rate of the reaction (oxidation or rusting in this case)

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_Greetings_Friends_ t1_j66t529 wrote

When I was a kid there was a busted down VW bus that was just kind of left on the beach as debris but it was atleast fairly unworn, I went there a couple years back and the bus was still there but theres now a gaping hole in the top and every last inch of it is covered in rust or somekind of plantlife, the saying "It was a shell of its former self" is so real, it had only been about 10 years but if left in my yard 10 years it would be nearly identical

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hans-and t1_j67ifdn wrote

Yes same reason as to why you can use saltwater, copper and zinc to make a simple battery, and the reason you attach zinc sacrificial anodes to ocean going ships

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jonathanrdt t1_j68dk1f wrote

Is it also a function of the added moisture? Salty things don’t dry easily.

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