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A double replacement reaction, more accurately called a salt metathesis reaction, is a type of chemical reaction. They are one of the four simple chemical reactions used in early chemistry education. The simple formula of a double replacement reaction between two chemical compounds is
- AB + CD → AD + BC
That is, the two compounds "swap" a part between them.
Most commonly, the reaction is between two ionic compounds in a solution, with the pairings of cation and anion being switched. This is what is properly called salt metathesis. This kind of reaction normally forms a chemical equilibrium, and needs to be driven forward by Le Chatelier's principle.
