What is a Double Displacement Reaction

Q. What is a double displacement reaction?

Answer: A double displacement reaction is a chemical reaction in which an ionic compound breaks down to form two ions.

Double displacement is a redox (reduction-oxidation) reaction in which the oxidation states of participating elements are either reduced or oxidised. During the formation of a precipitate, you may have observed that oxygen gas evolved, and this is also because of a reduction in the number of electrons per atom.

Double displacement reactions occur when two molecules react together with the displacement of one or both of the original reactants. Lithiation, hydrogen abstraction, protonation, and decomposition all fall under this category, among other possibilities.

The general formula of double displacement reaction is AB + CD → AD + CB (where A, B, C and D are different substances).

Double displacement reaction is important as it provides a mechanism for the degradation of many organic materials with inadequate or no oxidation means. Such as carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, and others.

Double-displacement reaction is used in organic chemistry to break down complex molecules into simpler ones by adding sodium to them. The resulting formed product is further reduced to complexions less bound to reactants, thus providing the source materials for further reactions.

 Double replacement reactions play an important role in their formation in clay minerals.

Example of double displacement reaction:

NaOH (Base) + HCl (Acid) → NaCl (salt) + H2O (Water).

If NaOH is present in excess, it reacts with HCl to form solid NaCl and HOH, and the solution turns yellow.