Comparison of relativities of metals

							











Comparison of relativities of metals:- the reduction potential values indicate the relative ease with which the various species of metals and ions may be oxidized or reduced. The metals having lower reduction potential will not be reduced easily. On the contrary, such metals would be easily oxidized to their ions losing electrons. These electrons would reduce the other metals having higher reduction potentials. In other words, a metal having smaller reduction potential can displace metals having larger reduction potentials from the solutions of their salts. For example, cooper lies above silver in the electrochemical series; therefore, if copper foils are added to AgNO3 solution, silver is displaced from the solution. In general a metal occupying higher position in the series can displace the metal lying below it from the solutions of their salts. In other words, we can say that the metals occupying higher positions in the electrochemical series are more reactive in displacing the other metals from the solutions of their salts.