What Is the Net Ionic Equation for the Precipitation of CaCO3?

[MellowOne]

Homework Statement

The balanced net ionic equation for precipitation of CaCO3 when aqueous solutions of Na2CO3 and CaCl2 are mixed is _____.

Homework Equations

Not sure of any

The Attempt at a Solution

I'm not sure how to get a "net ionic equation." I took chemistry 2 years ago and looking to take another course in it. Unfortunately I forgot a lot of chemistry so I'm looking to do some extra work to help me remember it. The product side would be 2NaCl + CaCO3, but how do I find the "net ionic equation" and not just an equation with reagents to product?

 

[Kushal]

In ionic equations, you need only consider those ions that 'change' in the solution. 'change' in your questions refers to a change of state from aqueous to solid. spectator ions(those which remain 'unchanged') should be ignored and you have to ensure that the charges are balanced, that is the net charge on the left hand side of the equation is equal to that in the right hand side.an example:
Pb(NO₃)₂ + NaBr will give the insoluble solid PbBr₂

in terms of ions:

Pb²⁺_(aq) -----> Pb²⁺_(s)
Br^-_(aq) -----> Br^-_(s)

but Na⁺_(aq) remains as such in solution
as well as NO_{3 (aq)}^-

therefore the net ionic equation is:

Pb²⁺_(aq) + 2Br^-_(aq) ---> PbBr_{2 (s)}the charges are balanced and there are no spectator ions.

 

[Blueshift5]

I would like to clarify that the balanced net ionic equation for the precipitation of CaCO3 when aqueous solutions of Na2CO3 and CaCl2 are mixed is not simply 2NaCl + CaCO3. This is because the reaction also yields two sodium ions (2Na+) and two chloride ions (2Cl-) on the product side, which are known as spectator ions. These ions do not participate in the actual chemical reaction and therefore, do not need to be included in the net ionic equation.

To obtain the net ionic equation, we need to eliminate the spectator ions from the equation and only include the ions that actually participate in the reaction. In this case, the net ionic equation would be:

Ca2+ (aq) + CO32- (aq) → CaCO3 (s)

This equation shows the formation of solid calcium carbonate (CaCO3) from the aqueous ions of calcium (Ca2+) and carbonate (CO32-). This is the net ionic equation because it only includes the ions that are involved in the reaction, and it is balanced because there is an equal number of each type of ion on both sides of the equation.

I hope this helps to clarify the concept of net ionic equations and how to obtain them. It is important to remember that in chemistry, we often use net ionic equations to focus on the actual chemical reaction and eliminate any extraneous information.