Types of Reactions

Last week in class, we learned about several different types of reactions to prepare for the unit test that we took on Thursday. The type that we spent the longest time learning about were redox reactions. This stands for reduction and oxidation. During this type of reaction, electrons are transferred from a metal to a non-metal. If a species loses electrons, it is oxidized and is the reducing agent. If a species gains electrons, it is reduced and is the oxidizing agent. A trick to help remember this is: OIL RIG, which stands for "Oxidized is lost. Reduction is gained." A more specific type of redox reactions are redox single-replacement reactions. During these, the metals have changed places and "the likes attack like". This type of reaction is based on reactivity series. Here is a link to a website that I found that explains everything you need to know about redox reactions: Redox Reactions

Here are the other types of reactions that we learned about:

-Synthesis: two or more reactants combine to form one product
-Decomposition: one reactant produces two or more products
-Combustion: a hydrocarbon reacts with oxygen and the products are CO2 and H2O

Here is a picture of examples of synthesis reaction equations:

Source of above picture