
was first used to describe reactions in which metals react with oxygen in air to produce metal oxides.

The substance that loses electrons is said to be oxidized. The term oxidation The loss of one or more electrons in a chemical reaction.

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-will be discussed in Chapter 4 "Reactions in Aqueous Solution". 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. 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. 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 general forms of these five kinds of reactions are summarized in Table 3.1 "Basic Types of Chemical Reactions", along with examples of each. Cleavage reactions are the reverse of condensation reactions.), and oxidation–reduction reactions A chemical reaction that exhibits a change in the oxidation states of one or more elements in the reactants that has the general form oxidant + reductant → reduced oxidant + oxidized reductant. (and the reverse, cleavage reactions A chemical reaction that has the general form AB → A + B. Some, but not all, condensation reactions are also oxidation–reduction reactions. Condensation reactions are the reverse of cleavage reactions. Most chemical reactions can be classified into one or more of five basic types: acid–base reactions A reaction of the general form acid + base → salt., exchange reactions A chemical reaction that has the general form AB + C → AC + B or AB + CD → AD + CB., condensation reactions A chemical reaction that has the general form A + B → AB. 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. 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. The chemical reactions we have described are only a tiny sampling of the infinite number of chemical reactions possible. To predict the types of reactions substances will undergo.

To identify fundamental types of chemical reactions.
