Question 9.5: When solutions of NaCl and AgNO3 are mixed, a white solid fo...
When solutions of NaCl and AgNO_{3} are mixed, a white solid forms. Write the ionic and net ionic equations for the reaction.
STEP 1 Write the ions of the reactants.
Reactants
(initial combinations)
STEP 2 Write the combinations of ions, and determine if any are insoluble.
When we look at the ions of each solution, we see that the combination of Ag^{+} and Cl^{-} forms an insoluble ionic compound.
| Mixture (new combinations) | Product | Soluble |
| Ag^{+}(aq) + Cl^{-}(aq) | AgCl | No |
| Na^{+}(aq) + NO_{3}^{-}(aq) | NaNO_{3} | Yes |
STEP 3 Write the ionic equation including any solid. In the ionic equation, we show all the ions of the reactants. The products include the solid AgCl that forms along with the remaining ions Na^{+} and NO_{3}^{-}.
Ag^{+}(aq) + NO_{3}^{-}(aq) + Na^{+}(aq) + Cl^{-}(aq) → AgCl (s) + Na^{+}(aq) + NO_{3}^{-}(aq)STEP 4 Write the net ionic equation. We remove the Na^{+} and NO_{3}^{-} ions, known as spectator ions, which are unchanged. This gives the net ionic equation, which only shows the ions that form a solid precipitate
Ag^{+}(aq) + \underset{Spectator ions}{\underbrace{\cancel{NO_{3}^{-}} + \cancel{Na^{+}(aq)}}_{} } + Cl^{-}(aq) → AgCl (s) + \underset{Spectator ions}{\underbrace{\cancel{Na^{+}(aq)} + \cancel{NO_{3}^{-}(aq)}}_{} }Ag^{+}(aq) + Cl^{-}(aq) → AgCl (s) Net ionic equation
| Type of Equation | |
| Chemical | AgNO_{3}(aq) + NaCl(aq) → AgCl(s) + NaNO_{3}(aq) |
| Ionic | Ag^{+}(aq) + NO_{3}^{-}(aq) + Na^{+}(aq) +Cl^{-}(aq) → AgCl(s) + Na^{+}(aq) + NO_{3}^{-}(aq) |
| Net Ionic | Ag^{+}(aq) +Cl^{-}(aq) → AgCl(s) |
