Classifying Chemical Reactions

The chemical reactions we have described are only a tiny sampling of the infinite number of chemical reactions possible. How do chemists cope with this overwhelming diversity? How do they predict which compounds will react with one another and what products will be formed? The key to success is to find useful ways to categorize reactions. Familiarity with a few basic types of reactions will help you to predict the products that form when certain kinds of compounds or elements come in contact.

Most chemical reactions can be classified into one or more of five basic types: acid–base reactions, exchange reactions, condensation reactions (and the reverse, cleavage reactions), and oxidation–reduction reactions. The general forms of these five kinds of reactions are summarized in Table 1

, along with examples of each. It is important to note, however, that many reactions can be assigned to more than one classification, as you will see in our discussion.

The classification scheme is only for convenience; the same reaction can be classified in different ways, depending on which of its characteristics is most important. Oxidation–reduction reactions, in which there is a net transfer of electrons from one atom to another, and condensation reactions are discussed in this section. Acid–base reactions and one kind of exchange reaction—the formation of an insoluble salt such as barium sulfate when solutions of two soluble salts are mixed together.