Introduction: Two More Important Reaction Types
So far in your study of chemical reactions, you have encountered oxidation and thermal decomposition. In this section, we focus on two more key reaction types: displacement and combustion. Both of these reactions are everywhere in the real world — from extracting metals used in your phone to the flame of a Bunsen burner in the lab.
These reaction types are part of a broader family that includes combustion, thermal decomposition, oxidation, displacement, and neutralisation. Recognising which type is occurring is an important skill in MYP Sciences.
What Is a Displacement Reaction?
A reaction in which a more reactive element replaces (displaces) a less reactive element from a compound.
Think of it like a game of musical chairs — a more reactive element "kicks out" the less reactive one and takes its place in the compound. The less reactive element is left behind on its own.
Imagine two people competing for a seat. The stronger (more reactive) person always wins the chair. The weaker (less reactive) person is left standing — just like the displaced element is left as a solid.
For a displacement reaction to occur, the element doing the displacing must be higher in the reactivity series than the element it is displacing.
13 more sections in this topic
Pick this up in your Library: it holds the whole topic, notes, cheatsheet and questions.