Jaxx
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- Joined
- Jan 18, 2006
- Messages
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that is how cathodic protection works. In your example, the silver is a "sacrificial anode" This effect is used industrially to protect underground chemical/petroleum storage tanks from corrosion, usually using aluminum or magnesium for steel tanks. They have to have cunductive contact for it to work.
There is a chart of conductor "half potentials" that will tell you which one will sacrifice and which will be protected. If I end up stuck in the house Monday, I might be able to find it, but I'm sure its online
eta: this is not really laymans terms and not specific to metals but does have usable data
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard electrode potential
Thanks for the explanation! :thumbup: I took chemistry in high school and I seem to recall (barely) that this was briefly covered, but to say that it didn't stick would be a dramatic understatement, LOL. Don't think that I did very well in that class at the time either.

I'll have to check out the link.
