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What is an ionic equitation? Explain with an example.

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Ionic Equation Definition

An ionic equation is a chemical equation where the electrolytes in acqueous solution are written as dissociated ions. Usually, this is a salt dissolved in water, where the ionic species are followed by (aq) in the equation, to indicate they are in aqueous solution. The ions in aqueous solution are stabilized by ion-dipole interactions with water molecules. However, an ionic equation may be written for any electrolyte the dissociates and reacts in a polar solvent.

In a balanced ionic equation, the number and type of atoms are the same on both sides of the reaction arrow. Additionally, the net charge is the same on both sides of the equation.

Strong acids, strong bases, and soluble ionic compounds (usually salts) exist as dissociated ions in aqueous solution, so they are written as ions in the ionic equation. Weak acids and bases and insoluble salts are usually written using their molecular formulas because only a small amount of them dissociates into ions. There are exceptions, especially with acid-base reactions.

Examples of Ionic Equations

Ag+(aq) + NO3-(aq) + Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq) → AgCl(s) + Na+(aq) + NO3-(aq) is
an ionic equation of the chemical reaction:

AgNO3(aq) + NaCl(aq) → AgCl(s) + NaNO3(aq)


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