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UNIT 4.2 NET IONIC EQUATIONS

Chemistry is the study of matter and interactions.  Chemistry overlaps with many other sciences.

Below is the contents for this sub unit.

Camp Fire

NET IONIC EQUATIONS

All physical and chemical changes can be represented by balanced equations.

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Ice melting

H2O (s) --> H2O (l)

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HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) --> H2O (l) + NaCl (aq)

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States of matter:

(s) - solid

(l) - liquid

(g) - gas

(aq) - aqueous (in water)

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You must have balanced equations (same number of atoms on each side of the arrow for each element)

H2SO4 (aq) + 2NaOH (aq) --> 2H2O (l)+ Na2SO4 (aq)

review 'Stoichiometry'

Click here

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These are what we call molecular balanced equations.  The complete ionic equation separates things into ions.  Take the previous equation:

Molecular: H2SO4 (aq) + 2NaOH (aq) --> 2H2O (l)+ Na2SO4 (aq)

Complete ionic: 2H+ SO4-2 + 2Na+ + 2OH-  --> 2H2O (l)+ 2Na+ + SO4-2 

This tends to be too complicated so we remove the 'spectator ions' the ions that are the same on both sides of the equation (the Na) to get the net ionic equation:

2H+ + SO4-2 (aq) + 2OH- (aq) --> 2H2O (l)+ + SO4-2 (aq)

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