User:Heleniliff/sandbox

Reducing agents and oxidizing agents are the ones responsible for corrosion, which is the “degradation of a solid, usually a metal, as a result of electrochemical activity”.[1] The word corrosion comes from the Latin word, corrodere, which literally means "to gnaw away". Corrosion requires an negative electrode anode, and a positive electrode cathode, to take place. The anode is an element that loses electrons (reducing agent) and causes oxidation to occur in the anode. The cathode is an element that gains electrons (oxidizing agent) and causes reduction to occur in the cathode. Corrosion occurs whenever there’s a difference in oxidation potential. When there is an oxidation potential, the anode metal begins deteriorating, given there is an electrical connection and the presence of an electrolyte. This process can be used in electrolysis to generate electricity.