AbstractThe corrosion of alpha and alpha+betabrass in acetic and chlorosubstituted acetic acids is due to the capability of acetate ions to form complex compounds with copper and zinc, and by the electrochemical behaviour of redeposited copper on the brass surface. The aggressivity of the media studied increases with the number of chlorine atoms and also depends from the type of the brass; trichloroacetic acid e.g. attacks brass 80 20 by an electrochemical mechanism, whereby the redeposited copper plays an important part, while brass 59 41 is rather attacked by “leaching”.