Does Na2CO3 have a methatesis reaction with NaCl, NaIO3, or Al2(SO4)3. If it does which one and why.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metathesis_%28linguistics%29 is an interesting article on what metathesis means in linguistics. It meaning in chemistry is very similar.

I have a problem with the question, I will explain later.

Na2CO3 cannot have a methatical reaction with the first two, because there is no way for Na to swap with Na
AB+CD>>AD+CB

Now for the aluminum sulfate, one does not have that problem, however a serious problem does occur: Aluminum carbonate does not exist as a stable compound. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_carbonate

To determine if a metathesis reaction occurs, we need to compare the solubility rules of the different compounds. In this case, we are given Na2CO3 (sodium carbonate) and need to check if it reacts with NaCl (sodium chloride), NaIO3 (sodium iodate), or Al2(SO4)3 (aluminum sulfate).

First, let's understand some solubility rules:
1. Compounds containing alkali metal cations (such as Na+) and ammonium cations (NH4+) are soluble.
2. Most chloride salts are soluble, except when paired with silver (Ag+), lead (Pb2+), or mercury (Hg2+) cations.
3. Most sulfate salts are soluble, except when paired with calcium (Ca2+), strontium (Sr2+), barium (Ba2+), lead (Pb2+), or silver (Ag+) cations.

Now, let's evaluate each reaction:

1. Na2CO3 + NaCl:
The combination of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and sodium chloride (NaCl) does not result in a metathesis reaction. Both Na2CO3 and NaCl are soluble compounds according to the solubility rules, so they remain as ions in the solution.

2. Na2CO3 + NaIO3:
Similar to the previous case, there is no metathesis reaction between sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and sodium iodate (NaIO3). Both compounds are soluble according to the solubility rules, so they do not undergo any chemical change.

3. Na2CO3 + Al2(SO4)3:
In this case, a metathesis reaction occurs between sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3). According to the solubility rules, sodium carbonate is soluble, and aluminum sulfate is also soluble. The reaction can be represented as follows:
Na2CO3 + Al2(SO4)3 -> Al2(CO3)3 + Na2SO4

The products formed are aluminum carbonate (Al2(CO3)3) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4).

In summary, Na2CO3 does not undergo a metathesis reaction with NaCl or NaIO3, but it does react with Al2(SO4)3 to form aluminum carbonate and sodium sulfate.