single+displacement,+slevey+2008.

//single displacement.//
//definition:// single displacement is a reaction in which a free atom becomes an ion and an ion becomes a free element. another way to look at this is to think that some of your elements switch places.

//generic form of equation:// this reaction can be represented by this equation: A + BC  à AC + B.

//an example of single displacement:// copper sulfate and iron **react to produce** iron sulfate and copper. (the **react to produce** in this equation is the same as the '  à ' in a chemical equation.)

//changing the sentence into a chemical equation:// in order to change this sentence into a chemical equation or formula, you have to know each element's atomic symbol. copper is represented by Cu, sulfate is represented by SO4, and iron is represented by Fe. so, the final chemical equation will turn out like this: CuSO4 + Fe  à FeSO4 + Cu.

//so how do we balance this new chemical equation?:// in order to balance this equation, we first need to find charges. so, when we do this, our equation is: Cu+2SO4-2 + Fe+3  à Fe+3SO4-2 + Cu+2. so now, when we do the //switcheroo method//, we switch the charges on each compound, making it look like this: CuSO4 + Fe  à Fe2(SO4)3 + Cu. notice how the charges on CuSO4 didn't change? that is because the charge of Cu is +2 and the charge of SO4 is -2, so they cancel out, leaving it as it is.

so now, we'll set up the column underneath the equation. CuSO4 + Fe  à Fe2(SO4)3 + Cu. 1 Cu 1 1 SO4 3 1 Fe 2 now we'll add some coefficients. 3CuSO4 + 2Fe  à Fe2(SO4)3 + 3Cu. and there you have it, a balanced equation!



back to the main page.