Abstract The low-toxic β-amino-alcohol derivatives, namely, 1-morpholin-4-yl-propan-2-ol (MP) and 1,3-di-morpholin-4-yl-propan-2-ol (DMP), as brass corrosion inhibitors in simulated atmospheric water was investigated by potentiodynamic, potentiostatic current transient, and electrochemical impedance spectros-copy (EIS) measurements. The results indicated that the investigated compounds were anodic inhibitors in the aggressive medium and the inhibition efficiency increased by increasing the inhibitors concentration. The electrochemical parameters obtained from EIS were used to analyze the inhibition mechanism through equivalent circuit. The adsorption of these inhibitors on the brass surface was found to obey the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The combined effect of the inhibitors on the brass surface was characterized using Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR). The reactivity of MP and DMP was analyzed by density functional theoretical (DFT) parameters such as the highest occupied molecular (HOMO) orbital...