Question

according to the activity series, which of the following single replacement reactions will take place?

a. LiCl + K yields KCl + Li
b. 2 AlBr3 + 3Mg yields 3MgBr2 + 2Al
c. Pb(NO3)2 + 2Cu yields 2CuNO3 + Pb
d. CaCl2 + 2Na yields 2NaCl + Ca

i'm confused because multiple of them look like they're correct

Answer 1

https://www.grandinetti.org/activity-series

going from the top of the series, any element can displace elements below it

ex: Li can displace anything below the table, but iron can only displace from cobalt and downwards

in each of your choices, you have 1 compound + 1 pure element. if the pure element is higher on the activity series, it can displace the metal within the compound

for example, in answer choice a, K is your pure element and LiCl is your compound. because K is lower on the series than Li, K cannot displace Li and this reaction does not happen.

repeat this process with all the other answer choices until you reach a possible reaction.