how do you get to the ionic equation for sodium hydroxide (aq) reacting with sulphuric acid.
To obtain the ionic equation for the reaction between sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4), you first need to write out the balanced chemical equation for the reaction. Then, you'll need to break down the equation into its respective ions.
Let's start with the balanced chemical equation:
NaOH(aq) + H2SO4(aq) -> Na2SO4(aq) + 2H2O(l)
Now, we'll break down the equation into its respective ions. Sodium hydroxide dissociates into sodium ions (Na+) and hydroxide ions (OH-), while sulfuric acid dissociates into hydrogen ions (H+) and sulfate ions (SO4²-).
Na+(aq) + OH-(aq) + H+(aq) + SO4²-(aq) -> Na2SO4(aq) + 2H2O(l)
In this ionic equation, you can see all the ions involved in the reaction. The sodium ions (Na+) and sulfate ions (SO4²-) are spectator ions, as they are present on both sides of the equation. The remaining ions, hydroxide (OH-) and hydrogen (H+), react to form water (H2O).
So, the final ionic equation for the reaction between sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid is:
OH-(aq) + H+(aq) -> H2O(l)