Enter your First Compound's Cation and Anion alongside your Second Compound's Cation and Anion, and this Double Displacement Reaction Calculator will swap the ion pairs to give you the balanced reaction equation, along with Product 1, Product 2, and the Reaction Type — toggle Show Balanced Equation to see the full stoichiometric breakdown.
Reaction Equation
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Product 1
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Product 2
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Reaction Type
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A double displacement reaction is a type of chemical reaction where two ionic compounds exchange their ions to form two new compounds. The general form is AB + CD → AD + CB.
The calculator takes the cations and anions from two ionic compounds and predicts the products by swapping the ions. It follows the principle that cations combine with anions to form new ionic compounds.
Common examples include precipitation reactions like AgNO₃ + NaCl → AgCl + NaNO₃, and acid-base neutralization reactions like HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H₂O.
Write the element symbol followed by the charge. Use + for positive ions (cations) and - for negative ions (anions). For charges greater than 1, include the number: Ca2+, SO4^2-.
Not all double displacement reactions will occur. They typically happen when one of the products is insoluble (forms a precipitate), is a gas, or is a weak electrolyte like water.
In single displacement, one element replaces another in a compound (A + BC → AC + B). In double displacement, two compounds exchange ions (AB + CD → AD + CB).
Balance by ensuring equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides. Start with the most complex compound and adjust coefficients to balance each element systematically.