Oxidation potential as driving force

Definition

Oxidizers provide the voltage that pulls electrons from vulnerable materials; the higher the potential, the stronger the drive to consume electrons.

High reduction potentials exert electrochemical pressure on everything an oxidizer touches. When an oxidizer meets a material that holds its electrons more loosely, the gap in wanting becomes a force that tears electrons away. In practice this pressure is shaped by the oxidizer present, its concentration, pH, temperature, and mass transfer.

Related concepts

ORP · Standard reduction potential · Destructive oxidation

---

Part of The Blueprint of Water · ⚡ electrochemistry