Title: passivation
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - passivation
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.P04443
Status: current

Definition
The process of transition from the active to the passive state by formation of the passivating film. Passivation is achieved by an anodic current which at the respective electrode potential must be larger than the maximum current, or by the presence of an oxidized substance in the neighbouring solution which passivates by being reduced (passivator).

Related Terms
- active state: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/A00111
- electrode potential: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/E01956
- film: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/F02366
- passive state: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/P04447

Source
- PAC, 1989, 61, 19. 'Electrochemical corrosion nomenclature (Recommendations 1988)' on page 21 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac198961010019)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/P04443/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/P04443/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/P04443/xml

Citation: Citation: 'passivation' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.P04443
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Accessed: 2026-05-01T12:43:52+00:00