The potential use of sodium propionate as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in aqueous media is investigated using a range of electrochemical and surface analytical techniques. The use of sodium propionate for the inhibition of mild steel corrosion is discussed, and the effective pH range of sodium propionate using various buffers is investigated. The effectiveness of sodium propionate as an inhibitor for mild steel pitting corrosion in the presence of various concentrations of CI- is studied. The effect of some oxidants, IO3-, BrO3-, NO32- on the anodic behaviour of mild steel in deaerated 0.01M carboxylate solutions of acetate, propionate, formate, succinate and salicylate is investigated. The critical temperature for effective inhibition of mild steel corrosion with sodium propionate is established, and the chemical composition of the film formed on mild steel surface in sodium propionate solution is studied using surface sensitive Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR. The efficiency of sodium propionate is compared to that of conventional inhibitors and a mechanism for the inhibition of mild steel corrosion with sodium propionate is proposed. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)