Reduction potential is a measure of the tendency of a chemical species to acquire electrons from or lose electrons to an electrode and thereby be reduced or oxidized, respectively. It is expressed in volts (V) and is defined relative to a reference electrode because absolute potentials are difficult to measure accurately. Reduction potentials of aqueous solutions are determined by measuring the potential difference between an inert sensing electrode in contact with the solution and a stable reference electrode connected to the solution by a salt bridge. The standard reduction potential is the tendency for a chemical species to be reduced and is measured in volts at standard conditions/Electrochemistry/Redox_Chemistry/Standard_Reduction_Potential). The standard reduction potential is measured under standard conditions, which include a unity activity (a = 1) for each ion participating in the reaction, a partial pressure of 1 atm (1.013 bar) for each gas taking part in the reaction, and metals in their pure state. The standard reduction potential is defined relative to the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) used as a reference electrode, which is arbitrarily given a potential of 0.00 V.

Some key points about reduction potential are:

• Reduction potential is a measure of the tendency of a chemical species to acquire or lose electrons.
• It is expressed in volts (V) and is defined relative to a reference electrode.
• The standard reduction potential is the tendency for a chemical species to be reduced and is measured in volts at standard conditions/Electrochemistry/Redox_Chemistry/Standard_Reduction_Potential).
• The standard reduction potential is defined relative to the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) used as a reference electrode, which is arbitrarily given a potential of 0.00 V.

Reduction potential is an important concept in electrochemistry and is used to determine the standard cell potential. The standard reduction cell potential and the standard oxidation cell potential can be combined to determine the overall cell potential of a galvanic cell/Electrochemistry/Redox_Chemistry/Standard_Reduction_Potential).