Aluminum single-displacement reactions

Many metals, such as zinc, iron, lead, copper, and aluminum are found chemically bonded to oxygen in nature. Sometimes, chemists can use single displacement reactions to get the pure metal. 

In a single-displacement reaction, a free element displaces another element from a compound to produce a different compound and a different free element. A more active element displaces a less active element from its compounds. These are all oxidation-reduction reactions. An example is the thermite reaction between aluminum and iron(III) oxide ... 

Synthetic routes derived from molecular and non-molecular precursors have expedited the development of technologically important 2- and 3- dimensional materials. Such approaches have often proved superior to conventional ceramic techniques in that high purity bulk samples or thin films can be prepared at lower temperatures much more rapidly. Predominant among the precursor methods are those based on decomposition reactions. These either involve gaseous species, such as those used in chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or solids. Examples include the pyrolysis of the gas-phase precursor [(CH3)2A1(NH2)]3 to produce aluminum nitride (i) and the thermal decomposition of solid state carbonate precursors of calcium and manganese (Cai j,Mn C03, 0 < x < 1) to produce several of the known ternary compounds in the Ca-Mn-O system (2). Single-displacement reactions are also common as precursor methods. These approaches usually involve gas-phase reactions and are also used in CVD techniques. Examples here include the formation oi... 

This reaction could be viewed in terms of a double displacement reaction One of the oxygen atoms and one of the hydrogen atoms have displaced each other. One of the most famous examples of this type of exchange reaction, a single exchange, occurs between iron oxide and aluminum ... 

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