Predicting the Products of Chemical Reactions

Predicting the products of chemical reactions involves understanding the type of reaction occurring and as well as being able to determine ionic charge. Here, I'll focus on single replacement, double replacement, and combustion reactions. These are the main types you'll need to be able to predict the products for. In another video I'll cover combination and decomposition reactions.

Note that the equations in this video are not necessarily balanced!

Useful Tools:
🔹Finding the Charge on Ions:    • Figuring out the Charge on Ions  
🔹Predicting Decomposition Rxns:    • Decomposition Reactions:  Predicting Products  
🔹Predicting Combination Rxns:    • Predicting Products of Combination Reactio...  
🔹Types of Chem Reactions Playlist:    • Types of Reactions and Predicting Products  
🔹Balancing Equations:    • How to Balance Chemical Equations in 5 Eas...  

***(Single Replacement Reactions****

Metal Replacing Metal:

Use the activity series to determine if a metal can replace another metal in a compound. Metals higher in the activity series can displace metals lower in the series.
For example, if you have zinc (Zn) and copper sulfate (CuSO4), you can consult the activity series to see if Zn can replace Cu. If it can, the reaction might proceed as follows:
Zn(s) + CuSO4(aq) → ZnSO4(aq) + Cu(s)
b. Metal Reacting with an Acid:

Similarly, use the activity series to see if a metal can replace hydrogen in an acid. If the metal is higher in the activity series than hydrogen, a reaction will occur.
For example, with hydrochloric acid (HCl) and zinc (Zn), the reaction would be:
Zn(s) + 2HCl(aq) → ZnCl2(aq) + H2(g)


****Double Replacement Reactions****

Precipitation Reaction:

Consult a solubility table to determine if the products will form a solid (precipitate). If the combination of ions results in an insoluble compound, a precipitation reaction occurs.

For example, if you mix silver nitrate (AgNO3) and sodium chloride (NaCl), the reaction would be:

AgNO3(aq) + NaCl(aq) → AgCl(s) + NaNO3(aq)


Neutralization Reaction:

When an acid reacts with a base, a neutralization reaction occurs, forming water and a salt.

For example, in the reaction between hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH):

HCl(aq) + NaOH(aq) → H2O(l) + NaCl(aq)


****Combustion Reactions****

Combustion reactions involve a substance reacting with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. For hydrocarbons, like in the combustion of methane (CH4):

CH4(g) + 2O2(g) → CO2(g) + 2H2O(g)



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