The effects of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), sodium polyacrylate (NaPA), poly-(ethylene glycol) (PEG), pectin (P), and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) on the corrosion of cadmium in a 0.5 M hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution were studied with both electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Tafel plot techniques. Measurements were carried out at cathodic, open-circuit, and anodic potentials. All the investigated polymers had inhibitory effects on both the cathodic (except for NaPA, P, and CMC) and anodic processes, with a predominant anodic inhibiting action. However, NaPA, P, and CMC exhibited a slight cathodic inhibiting action only at higher polymer concentrations. This behavior may be attributed to the very weak adsorbability of the polymers on the cathodic sites. Because PVA and PEG had hydroxy groups, there could be bridging between the polymer and the surface, resulting in an inhibiting effect in the HCl solution. However, PVA had much greater adsorbability on the surface than PEG at the anodic potential. The adsorption of most of the polymers obeyed a Temkin adsorption isotherm, and this indicated indicating that the main process of inhibition was adsorption. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.