When carbon dioxide (\( \text{CO}_2 \)) is dissolved in an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide (\( \text{NaOH} \)), it reacts to form sodium carbonate (\( \text{Na}_2\text{CO}_3 \)) and water (\( \text{H}_2\text{O} \)).
1. Balanced Molecular Equation
To write the balanced molecular equation, we first identify the reactants and products:
\[ \text{CO}_2 (g) + 2 \text{NaOH} (aq) \rightarrow \text{Na}_2\text{CO}_3 (aq) + \text{H}_2\text{O} (l) \]
2. Complete Ionic Equation
Next, we write the complete ionic equation. In this equation, we break all soluble strong electrolytes (like \( \text{NaOH} \) and \( \text{Na}_2\text{CO}_3 \)) into their respective ions:
\[ \text{CO}_2 (g) + 2 \text{Na}^+ (aq) + 2 \text{OH}^- (aq) \rightarrow 2 \text{Na}^+ (aq) + \text{CO}_3^{2-} (aq) + \text{H}_2\text{O} (l) \]
3. Net Ionic Equation
To get the net ionic equation, we remove the spectator ions (ions that remain unchanged on both sides). In this case, the sodium ions (\( \text{Na}^+ \)) are spectators:
\[ \text{CO}_2 (g) + 2 \text{OH}^- (aq) \rightarrow \text{CO}_3^{2-} (aq) + \text{H}_2\text{O} (l) \]
Summary
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Balanced Molecular Equation: \[ \text{CO}_2 (g) + 2 \text{NaOH} (aq) \rightarrow \text{Na}_2\text{CO}_3 (aq) + \text{H}_2\text{O} (l) \]
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Complete Ionic Equation: \[ \text{CO}_2 (g) + 2 \text{Na}^+ (aq) + 2 \text{OH}^- (aq) \rightarrow 2 \text{Na}^+ (aq) + \text{CO}_3^{2-} (aq) + \text{H}_2\text{O} (l) \]
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Net Ionic Equation: \[ \text{CO}_2 (g) + 2 \text{OH}^- (aq) \rightarrow \text{CO}_3^{2-} (aq) + \text{H}_2\text{O} (l) \]
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