Innovating Science® The Electrochemical Series

What Are Redox Potentials?

Students will study electrochemical series. The electrochemical series is built up by arranging various redox equilibria in order of their standard electrode potentials (redox potentials). When a strip of metal (an electrode) is placed in water the metal has a tendency to go into solution as ions, with a simultaneous build up of electrons on the metal strip. This process produces an electrical potential difference between the metal and solution which is called an electrode potential (Eº).