Complete and balance the molecular equation, including phases, for the reaction of aqueous copper(II) chloride, CuCl2, and aqueous potassium phosphate, K3PO4.
Balance the net ionic equation, including phases, for this reaction.
To complete and balance the molecular equation for the reaction of copper(II) chloride (CuCl2) and potassium phosphate (K3PO4), we need to determine the products formed when these two compounds react.
Step 1: Write the chemical formulas of the reactants.
Copper(II) chloride: CuCl2
Potassium phosphate: K3PO4
Step 2: Determine the products by swapping the cations and anions between the reactants.
The cation from copper(II) chloride (Cu2+) combines with the anion from potassium phosphate (PO43-) to form the first product, copper(II) phosphate (Cu3(PO4)2).
The cation from potassium phosphate (K+) combines with the anion from copper(II) chloride (Cl-) to form the second product, potassium chloride (KCl).
Step 3: Write the balanced molecular equation using the chemical formulas of the reactants and products, including their respective phases.
CuCl2(aq) + K3PO4(aq) → Cu3(PO4)2(s) + KCl(aq)
To balance the equation, we need to make sure the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.
There are 2 chloride ions on the reactant side, so we add a coefficient of 2 in front of KCl to balance the number of chloride ions.
CuCl2(aq) + K3PO4(aq) → Cu3(PO4)2(s) + 2KCl(aq)
Now the equation is balanced both in terms of atoms and charges.
To find the net ionic equation, we remove any spectator ions that do not participate in the reaction.
In this case, potassium chloride (KCl) is soluble and dissociates into potassium ions (K+) and chloride ions (Cl-) in aqueous solutions. Since potassium chloride does not undergo any further chemical changes, it is a spectator ion.
The net ionic equation is formed by removing the spectator ions from the balanced molecular equation.
Net ionic equation:
Cu2+ + PO43- → Cu3(PO4)2(s)
In the net ionic equation, only the species involved directly in the reaction are shown.