 To get a closer look at a single displacement reaction, which is also an oxidation reduction reaction, we will use a microscope camera to see the reaction between copper metal and silver nitrate. A drop of one molar silver nitrate is placed on a microscope slide. A thin copper wire is touched to the solution. You can see the rapid formation of shiny needle-like crystals of silver metal. Notice that the solution turns pale blue due to the formation of copper-tuned nitrate.