Metathesis (chemistry)
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In general, a chemical reaction is referred to as metathesis, exchange reaction, or double replacement reaction if it is of the type:
A-B + C-D → A-D + C-B
where parts of two reacting structures swap places. This type of process can occur between two inorganic salts when one product is insoluble in water, driving the reaction forward, as in the following equation:
AgNO3(aq) + NaCl(aq) → AgCl(s) + NaNO3(aq)
This type of reaction is also called double decomposition. One of the most important new reactions in organic chemistry is olefin metathesis (often called simply metathesis), and the related alkyne metathesis. In olefin metathesis, a metal catalyst causes the two halves of an olefin to switch places, for example:
R1=CH2 + R2CH=CH2 → R1CH=CHR2 + H2C=CH2
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2005 was awarded to Yves Chauvin (France), Richard R. Schrock (USA), and Robert H. Grubbs (USA) for the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis.
External links
- R. H. Grubbs (Ed.), Handbook of Metathesis, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2003.
- [2005 Nobel Prize]
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