Final answer:
The chemical reaction between calcium metal and potassium chloride solution is a single displacement reaction where calcium replaces potassium ions to form calcium chloride and potassium ions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reaction between calcium metal and potassium chloride solution is a type of single displacement reaction, also known as a substitution reaction. In this chemical process, calcium displaces potassium ions to form calcium chloride and potassium ions. To classify this example further, since metal is replacing another metal ion in the solution and forming an ionic compound, it's a specific type of single displacement reaction called a cation replacement.
The balanced chemical reaction is:
Ca(s) + 2KCl(aq) → CaCl2(s) + 2K+(aq)
In this reaction, solid calcium metal reacts with aqueous potassium chloride, yielding solid calcium chloride and aqueous potassium ions. This is analogous to other reactions of alkali and alkaline earth metals, which tend to react quite readily with other substances as they are very reactive elements. For example, calcium will also readily react with water to form calcium hydroxide and hydrogen gas, releasing a significant amount of heat in the process.