Write a net ionic equation that represents the reaction:
1. ionization of HCl3 in water:
My answer: HClO3+H20->H3O+ClO3
2. NH3 functioning as an Arrhenius base:
Mine: NH3+(OH)->NH4+O
The first one is ok but you need to show the + charge on the H3O^+ and the - charge on the chlorate ion.
The second one shows NH3 as a base but not by the Arrhenius theory. The closest would be the Bronsted-Lowry theory but O doesn't exist by itself. By the B-L theory, I would write
NH3 + HOH ==> NH4^+ + OH^- and that clearly shows that NH3 is a proton acceptor. The "old" Arrhenius theory says that a base is a substance that contains the OH^-. We assumed NH3 added to water to produce ammonium hydroxide, NH4OH, then NH4OH ionized as follows:
NH4OH ==> NH4^+ + OH^-. So that is what you would write if you teacher still talks about ammonium hydroxide.
Now that we know NH4OH doesn't exist, most of us die hards of the Arrhenius theory have changed it from "a base is anything that contains the OH^-" to " a base is anthing that produces a OH^-." And by that definition we write:
NH3 + HOH ==> NH4^+ + OH^- which makes it an Arrhenius base as well as a B-L base.
I hope this helps.
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