Ionic equation for HCl with K2CO3

Ionic equation for HCl with K2CO3

The correct answer and explanation is:

The ionic equation for the reaction between hydrochloric acid (HCl) and potassium carbonate (K2CO3) is: 2H+(aq)+CO32−(aq)→H2O(l)+CO2(g)+2K+(aq)2H^+ (aq) + CO_3^{2-} (aq) \rightarrow H_2O (l) + CO_2 (g) + 2K^+ (aq)

Explanation:

When hydrochloric acid (HCl) is dissolved in water, it dissociates into hydrogen ions (H+) and chloride ions (Cl-): HCl(aq)→H+(aq)+Cl−(aq)HCl (aq) \rightarrow H^+ (aq) + Cl^-(aq)

Potassium carbonate (K2CO3), on the other hand, dissociates into potassium ions (K+) and carbonate ions (CO3^2-) in water: K2CO3(aq)→2K+(aq)+CO32−(aq)K_2CO_3 (aq) \rightarrow 2K^+(aq) + CO_3^{2-} (aq)

When these two solutions are mixed, the hydrogen ions (H+) from HCl react with the carbonate ions (CO3^2-) from K2CO3. The reaction results in the formation of water (H2O) and carbon dioxide gas (CO2), as shown in the following reaction: 2H+(aq)+CO32−(aq)→H2O(l)+CO2(g)2H^+ (aq) + CO_3^{2-} (aq) \rightarrow H_2O (l) + CO_2 (g)

The potassium ions (K+) and chloride ions (Cl-) remain in solution and do not participate directly in the reaction. These ions are spectator ions, meaning they do not change during the course of the reaction. Therefore, they are not included in the net ionic equation.

The complete ionic equation includes all the ions present in solution: 2H+(aq)+CO32−(aq)+2K+(aq)+2Cl−(aq)→H2O(l)+CO2(g)+2K+(aq)+2Cl−(aq)2H^+ (aq) + CO_3^{2-} (aq) + 2K^+ (aq) + 2Cl^- (aq) \rightarrow H_2O (l) + CO_2 (g) + 2K^+ (aq) + 2Cl^- (aq)

However, after canceling the spectator ions (K+ and Cl-), the simplified ionic equation is: 2H+(aq)+CO32−(aq)→H2O(l)+CO2(g)2H^+ (aq) + CO_3^{2-} (aq) \rightarrow H_2O (l) + CO_2 (g)

This is the final ionic equation for the reaction between HCl and K2CO3. The carbon dioxide gas produced can be observed as bubbles in the solution.

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