Janna Marie A.

Galache Grade 10 - Fringe

Kc Jane Labininay Science

Single Displacement

I. Description

A single-displacement reaction is a chemical reaction where one reactant is

exchanged for one ion of a second reactant. It is also known as a single-replacement

reaction. The starting materials are always pure elements, such as a pure zinc metal,

hydrogen gas, and aqueous compound. When a replacement reaction occurs, a new

aqueous compound and a different pure element will be generated as products.

Single displacement reactions take the form:

where one element is substituted for another element in a compound to generate a new
element and a new compound. Other things to remember for single replacement
reactions include:

1. Elements that are likely to form cations—usually metals or hydrogen gas—will

replace the cation in a compound, and elements that are likely to form anions—
usually group 17 halogens—will replace anions in a compound.
 2. A higher-ranked element in the activity series is more reactive in a single
replacement reaction. We predict a single replacement reaction will occur when
a less reactive element can be replaced by a more reactive element in a
compound.

Recognizing a Single-Displacement Reaction

When you look at the chemical equation for a reaction, a single-displacement
reaction is characterized by one cation or anion trading places with another to form a
new product. It's easy to spot when one of the reactants is an element and the other is a
compound. Usually, when two compounds react, both cations or both anions will
change partners, producing a double-displacement reaction.

You can predict whether a single-displacement reaction will occur by

comparing the reactivity of an element using an activity series table. In general, a
metal can displace any metal lower in the activity series (cations). The same rule
applies to halogens (anions).
II. Examples

1. The reaction between zinc metal and hydrochloric acid to produce zinc
chloride and hydrogen gas is an example of a single-displacement
reaction:

Zn(s) + 2 HCl(aq) → ZnCl2(aq) + H2(g)

2. Another example is the displacement of iron from an iron (II) oxide

solution using coke as a carbon source:

2 Fe2O3 (s) + 3 C (s) → Fe(s) + CO2 (g)

III. Applications

● It is used in thermite welding. In which aluminum displaces iron from its oxide.
● It is used in steel making. In which carbon displaces iron from its oxide.
● It is largely used in the extraction of metals.
● It is used in acid indigestion.
● It is used in flame photometry.