Question

What type of reaction is this?

2 Al +3 CuSO4→ Al2(SO4)3 + 3 Cu

Answer 1

This is a single displacement or single replacement reaction. In this reaction, aluminum (Al) displaces copper (Cu) from its compound copper sulfate (CuSO4) to form aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3) and copper metal (Cu). The general form of a single displacement reaction is:

A + BC → AC + B

where A is a more reactive metal than B, and A displaces B from its compound BC to form AC and B. In this case, aluminum is more reactive than copper and it displaces copper from copper sulfate.