Displacement Reactions

This lesson covers displacement reactions involving metals and metal compounds, as required by the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry specification (1CH0), Topic 4. You need to understand why displacement reactions occur, predict whether they will happen using the reactivity series, and write balanced equations.

What Is a Displacement Reaction?

A displacement reaction occurs when a more reactive element takes the place of a less reactive element in a compound. In the context of metals:

A more reactive metal displaces a less reactive metal from a solution of its salt (or from its oxide).

The general equation is:

reactive metal + less reactive metal compound → reactive metal compound + less reactive metal

This happens because the more reactive metal has a stronger tendency to form positive ions (lose electrons) than the less reactive metal.