Double replacement precipitation reactions occur when two solutions react to form a precipitate (an insoluble compound) as one of their products (Zumdahl & Zumdahl 2010). The reactants, when in a solvent such as water, ionize by separating into anions and cations (Zumdahl & Zumdahl 2010). The electric field from ionization causes water molecules to surround an ion and form a hydration shell around it, thereby separating ions so that the reactants are soluble (Marcus 2009). Once the reactants have been separated into ions, they can combine with other ions to form a precipitate, however, since the solid must have a zero net charge, both anions and cations need to be present in the product (Zumdahl & Zumdahl 2010). Essentially, the anions of
