Spontaneity of

redox reactions
01
Introduction
What are redox reactions?
- A redox reaction is spontaneous if the standard electrode potential for the
redox reaction, E⁰ (redox reaction), is positive.

- If E⁰ (redox reaction) is positive, the reaction will proceed in the forward

direction (spontaneous). Spontaneous redox reactions can be used to produce
electricity.

- If E⁰ (redox reaction) is negative (E⁰ < 0), the reaction will not proceed in
the forward direction (non-spontaneous).
Note: The reaction will be spontaneous in the reverse direction!
And non-spontaneous redox reactions cannot be used to produce electricity.
More on redox reactions
Redox reactions are made up of two reactions:
(a) Reduction reaction: a species gains electrons
(b) Oxidation reaction: a species loses electrons

For each reaction there is an associated electrode potential

measured in volts.

Electrode potentials are usually tabulated for the reduction

reaction in which the species are present in their standard
states, and these tables are referred to as tables of "Standard
Reduction Potentials".
Resources
1. https://www.ausetute.com.au/oxredpot.html