Salt metathesis reaction

A reaction in which two compounds exchange ions or ligands, producing new combinations. It is driven by outcomes such as precipitation, gas formation, or formation of a weak electrolyte.

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Double displacement reaction: A reaction pattern in which two compounds exchange partners to form two new compounds. Salt metathesis is a common ionic version of this broader reaction pattern.
Ionic compound: A substance composed of positively and negatively charged ions held together by electrostatic attraction. Its ions supply the partners that can be exchanged in many salt metathesis reactions.
Metathesis polymerization: A polymer-forming process based on exchange reactions between carbon–carbon double bonds. Olefin metathesis extends exchange chemistry from salts to organic bonds and polymers.
Redox reaction: A chemical reaction involving electron transfer and changes in oxidation states. Ordinary salt metathesis rearranges partners without requiring oxidation-state changes.
Net ionic equation: A chemical equation showing only species that participate directly in a reaction. It removes spectator ions to reveal the actual exchange and its driving force.
Aqueous solution: A homogeneous mixture in which water is the solvent. Many familiar metathesis reactions occur after salts dissociate in water.
Olefin metathesis: A reaction that exchanges alkylidene groups between carbon–carbon double bonds. Despite its name, this celebrated metathesis is not salt ion exchange.
Single displacement reaction: A reaction in which one element replaces another in a compound. It replaces a partner rather than exchanging partners between two compounds.
Precipitation reaction: A reaction in solution that forms an insoluble solid from dissolved substances. An insoluble product can remove exchanged ions from solution and drive the reaction.
Spectator ion: An ion present in solution that does not participate in the net chemical change. Spectator ions appear in full equations but cancel from the net ionic equation.