Disproportionation



Disproportionation or dismutation is used to describe two particular types of chemical reaction:[1]

  • A chemical reaction of the type: 2A → A' + A" where A, A' and A" are different chemical species. While the most common type is a redox reaction, other types are possible. For example: 2H2O → H3O+ + OH- is a disproportionation but is not a redox reaction.
  • A chemical reaction in which an element is simultaneously reduced and oxidized to form two different products.