2. The reaction can be described in words as follows: aluminum sulfate reacted with ammonium hydroxide forming the insoluble product or precipitate, aluminum hydroxide and the water-soluble ammonium sulfate. The chemical equation can be written as follows (“aq” means aqueous, dissolved in water):

___KAl(SO4)2 (aq) + ___NH4OH(aq)  ___Al(OH)3(s) + ___(NH4)2SO4(aq) + ___KOH(aq)

a) Balance the above chemical equation.
b) Are the reactants (compounds on the left of the arrow) and products (compounds on the right of the arrow) covalent or ionic?

To balance the chemical equation, you need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation.

a) Balancing the equation:

3KAl(SO4)2 (aq) + 6NH4OH(aq) → 2Al(OH)3(s) + 3(NH4)2SO4(aq) + 3KOH(aq)

By inspecting the equation, you can see that for aluminum, there are 3 atoms on the reactant side (as indicated by the coefficient 3 in front of KAl(SO4)2). On the product side, there are 2 aluminum atoms (as indicated by the coefficient 2 in front of Al(OH)3). To balance this, you need to add a coefficient of 2 in front of KAl(SO4)2:

2KAl(SO4)2 (aq) + 6NH4OH(aq) → 2Al(OH)3(s) + 3(NH4)2SO4(aq) + 3KOH(aq)

Now the number of aluminum atoms is balanced.

Similarly, you can balance the other elements by adjusting the coefficients in front of the compounds. In this case, both sulfate ions (SO4^2-) and hydroxide ions (OH^-) are already balanced, so there is no need to adjust the coefficients for those compounds.

b) To determine if the reactants and products are covalent or ionic, you can refer to the nature of the atoms involved.

In aluminum sulfate (KAl(SO4)2), aluminum is a metal while sulfate is a polyatomic ion. Metal and non-metal or polyatomic ion combinations typically form ionic compounds.

In ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH), ammonium (NH4) is a polyatomic ion with a positive charge, and hydroxide (OH) is a polyatomic ion with a negative charge. Again, the combination of a metal or polyatomic ion with a non-metal or polyatomic ion forms an ionic compound.

In aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3), aluminum is a metal, while hydroxide is a polyatomic ion. Therefore, it is also an ionic compound.

In ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4), once again, ammonium is a polyatomic ion, and sulfate is a polyatomic ion. Hence, it is an ionic compound.

Lastly, in potassium hydroxide (KOH), potassium is a metal, and hydroxide is a polyatomic ion. Thus, it is an ionic compound.

Therefore, all the reactants and products in this chemical equation are ionic compounds.

a. See your previus post.

b. Most salts; i.e.,KAl(SO4)2, (NH4)2SO4 are ionic. Technically NH4OH doesn't exist. It is a solution of NH3 gas and H2O(aq)
NH3 + HOH ==> NH4^+ + OH^-