Write the total and net ionic equations for the following molecular reaction:
HgNO3 (aq) + NaCl (aq) -> HgCl (s) + 2 NaNO3 (aq)
To write the total and net ionic equations for the given molecular reaction, we need to understand the properties of the compounds involved and their behavior in an aqueous solution.
First, let's determine the states of the given compounds:
HgNO3 (aq) - Mercury(II) nitrate is a soluble compound and dissociates into ions in water.
NaCl (aq) - Sodium chloride is also soluble and dissociates into ions in water.
HgCl (s) - Mercury(I) chloride is insoluble in water and forms a solid precipitate.
NaNO3 (aq) - Sodium nitrate is soluble and dissociates into ions in water.
Now, let's write the balanced total ionic equation by representing each compound as its respective ions:
Hg2+(aq) + 2NO3-(aq) + 2Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq) -> HgCl(s) + 2Na+(aq) + 2NO3-(aq)
Next, we can remove the spectator ions (ions that appear on both sides of the equation without undergoing any change) from the equation to obtain the net ionic equation:
Hg2+(aq) + 2Cl-(aq) -> HgCl(s)
In the net ionic equation, we can see that the mercury(II) ion (Hg2+) and chloride ion (Cl-) combine to form a solid precipitate of mercury(I) chloride (HgCl).
Therefore, the total ionic equation is:
Hg2+(aq) + 2NO3-(aq) + 2Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq) -> HgCl(s) + 2Na+(aq) + 2NO3-(aq)
The net ionic equation is:
Hg2+(aq) + 2Cl-(aq) -> HgCl(s)