Question

Can a non metal displace a metal from its oxides or compounds or elements...?reason why do they displace

Answer 1

Answer:

No, a non-metal can only displace a non-metal from a compound while a metal can only displcae a metal from its compound.

Explanation:

Since metals lose electrons when forming ions (when they react), they can only be displaced by another element that is capable of losing electrons when forming an ion- in essence, metals can only displace each other. Non-metals gain electrons to form ionic compounds. Thus, they can only be displcaced from a compound by another element that is capable of gaining electrons, which means a non metal can only displace another non-metal from a compound (as seen through the displacement reactions of halides, where an iodide can be displaced by a bromide, chloride or flouride.