Single replacement reactions, which are sometimes called single displacement reactions, happen when an element combines with a compound. This leads to one element in the compound being swapped out.

You can think of it like this:

A + BC → AC + B

What You Need to Know:

• Reactants: You’ll start with one free element (let's call it A) and one compound (we'll call it BC).

• Products: After the reaction, you’ll get a new compound (which we can name AC) and a new free element (we'll call it B).

When Does This Happen?

• Reactivity Series: The reactivity of the metals and nonmetals is really important for this reaction. A more reactive element can kick out a less reactive one.

  For example, if A is something like zinc, and B is something like copper, the reaction will work because zinc is more reactive than copper.

How to Predict It:

• You can use the reactivity series to guess if a reaction will happen.

  Metals like lithium and potassium are very reactive, while metals like gold and platinum are not very reactive at all.

So, if you see a more reactive element (A) trying to replace a less reactive one (B), you can expect that a reaction will take place!