Metathesis

Metathesis or otherwise known as double displacement is similar to the single displacement. Metathesis is a reaction in which parts of the reactants are exchange. A variable representative of the reaction is shown below:

AB + CD --> AC + BD

An example for a metathesis reaction is the reaction of potassium iodide with lead(II) nitrate to produce potassium nitrate and solid lead iodide. The reaction is shown below:

2KI + Pb(NO3)2 --> 2KNO3 + PbI2