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To see a dramatic video of the
reaction of magnesium and
carbon dioxide, Figure 2 In a single displacement reaction, one element, A, displaces element B in a compound,
Go to NElsoN sCIENCE BC. The new compound, AC, is one product. The displaced element, B, is the second product.
LeaRning Tip Notice how the chemical equation for the reaction of magnesium with
Non-Metals Place Second carbon dioxide is similar to this general pattern. In single displacement
Remember that the second element reactions involving an ionic compound and a metal, it is always the positive
in a chemical compound is almost ion (cation) that is replaced in the compound.
always a non-metal. That is why, in
Single displacement reactions oft en occur in aqueous solution. Figure 3
Figure 2, element C is written second
in both compounds: BC and AC. shows what happens when a coiled copper wire is placed into a solution of
silver nitrate:
copper + silver nitrate → copper(II) nitrate + silver
Cu(s) + 2 AgNO3(aq) → Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2 Ag(s)
NEL 6.6 Types of Chemical Reactions: Single and Double Displacement 241
Double Displacement Reactions
double displacement reaction a reaction Double displacement reactions occur when two elements in different
that occurs when elements in different compounds trade places (Figure 6). The general pattern for these reactions is:
compounds displace each other or exchange
places, producing two new compounds AB + CD → AD + CB
The symbols A, B, C, and D represent atoms, single ions, or polyatomic ions.
LeaRning Tip
AB CD AD CB
Polyatomic Ions
Treat polyatomic ions as a single unit
in a chemical equation. In a double + +
displacement reaction, a polyatomic
ion (such as the nitrate ion, NO3−) can
change places with an ion composed Figure 6 In a double displacement reaction, the two non-metals, B and D, trade places.
of only one atom (such as chloride, Cl−). Alternatively, you could think of it as the two metals, A and C, switching over.
Forming a Precipitate
Look closely at the chemical equation for the reaction in Figure 7. Note that the
reactants are both in solution (aq), and so is one of the products: sodium nitrate.
The other product, silver chloride, is a solid (s). Chemists have discovered,
through experimentation, that some ionic compounds do not dissolve in water.
If these insoluble compounds are formed during a reaction, they become visible
precipitate a solid formed from the as a precipitate: tiny specks of solid material in the solution. The silver chloride
reaction of two solutions
formed in Figure 7 is a precipitate.
in SUMMARY
• In a single displacement reaction, an element and • Sometimes, in a reaction of aqueous
a compound react to produce a different element reactants, one of the products is insoluble.
and compound and have the general pattern This product, called a precipitate, appears
A + BC → AC + B. as a solid in the solution.
• In a double displacement reaction, two
compounds react to produce two different
compounds and have the general pattern
AB + CD → AD + CB.