Question

If BaCl2(aq) + NaOH (aq) react , do precipitate formed? If sure then write the balanced net ionic equation for the precipitate formed.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
When barium chloride (BaCl₂) reacts with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), a double displacement reaction occurs. In this reaction, barium hydroxide (Ba(OH)₂) is formed, which is a sparingly soluble compound that precipitates out of solution. The sodium chloride (NaCl) remains dissolved in the aqueous solution.

The balanced molecular equation for the reaction is:

\[ \text{BaCl}_2 (aq) + 2 \text{NaOH} (aq) \rightarrow \text{Ba(OH)}_2 (s) + 2 \text{NaCl} (aq) \]

To write the net ionic equation, we first break down the soluble strong electrolytes into their respective ions:

- \( \text{BaCl}_2 (aq) \) dissociates into \( \text{Ba}^{2+} (aq) \) and \( 2 \text{Cl}^- (aq) \)
- \( \text{NaOH} (aq) \) dissociates into \( \text{Na}^+ (aq) \) and \( \text{OH}^- (aq) \)
- \( \text{NaCl} (aq) \) dissociates into \( \text{Na}^+ (aq) \) and \( \text{Cl}^- (aq) \)

Now, writing the complete ionic equation:

\[ \text{Ba}^{2+} (aq) + 2 \text{Cl}^- (aq) + 2 \text{Na}^+ (aq) + 2 \text{OH}^- (aq) \rightarrow \text{Ba(OH)}_2 (s) + 2 \text{Na}^+ (aq) + 2 \text{Cl}^- (aq) \]

Now we can cancel the spectator ions (\(2 \text{Na}^+\) and \(2 \text{Cl}^-\)) that appear on both sides of the equation:

The net ionic equation is:

\[ \text{Ba}^{2+} (aq) + 2 \text{OH}^- (aq) \rightarrow \text{Ba(OH)}_2 (s) \]

Thus, the precipitate formed is barium hydroxide, and the net ionic equation shows that barium ions combine with hydroxide ions to form the insoluble precipitate.