The Thermit Reaction

Displacement Reactions - The Thermit Reaction

10X Triple Chemistry have been looking at displacement reactions.  These reply upon a more reactive chemical displacing (kicking out) a less reactive chemical from a compound.  The pupils have carried these types of reaction out on a test tube level.  A more exciting example though is the Thermit reaction:

Iron oxide	+	Aluminium	-->	Aluminium oxide	+	Iron
Fe2O3(s)	+	2Al(s)	-->	Al2O3(s)	+	2Fe(l)

Aluminium is above iron in the reactivity series so it displaces the iron in such a highly exothermic reaction that the iron produced is molten. The video below shows how the reaction worked in class.  You can see the molten iron falling in the slow motion reply.