chromium (III) nitrate and sodium phosphate
Express your answer as a chemical equation. Identify all of the phases in your answer.
Enter NOREACTION if no reaction occurs.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The chemical equation for the reaction between chromium(III) nitrate and sodium phosphate can be determined by considering the solubility rules and possible reactions that could occur between the two compounds.
The two reactants are:
- Chromium(III) nitrate: ( \text{Cr(NO}_3\text{)}_3 )
- Sodium phosphate: ( \text{Na}_3\text{PO}_4 )
Step-by-step breakdown:
- Write down the dissociation of each compound in aqueous solution:
- ( \text{Cr(NO}_3\text{)}_3 ) dissociates into ( \text{Cr}^{3+} ) ions and ( \text{NO}_3^- ) ions.
- ( \text{Na}_3\text{PO}_4 ) dissociates into ( \text{Na}^+ ) ions and ( \text{PO}_4^{3-} ) ions. Therefore, the dissociation equations are:
- ( \text{Cr(NO}_3\text{)}_3 (aq) \rightarrow \text{Cr}^{3+} (aq) + 3 \text{NO}_3^- (aq) )
- ( \text{Na}_3\text{PO}_4 (aq) \rightarrow 3 \text{Na}^+ (aq) + \text{PO}_4^{3-} (aq) )
- Determine possible products:
- Chromium(III) ions (( \text{Cr}^{3+} )) can potentially react with phosphate ions (( \text{PO}_4^{3-} )) to form chromium(III) phosphate, ( \text{CrPO}_4 ).
- Sodium ions (( \text{Na}^+ )) will combine with nitrate ions (( \text{NO}_3^- )) to form sodium nitrate, ( \text{NaNO}_3 ).
- Check the solubility of the products:
- Chromium(III) phosphate (( \text{CrPO}_4 )) is insoluble in water and will precipitate.
- Sodium nitrate (( \text{NaNO}_3 )) is soluble in water and remains in the aqueous phase.
- Write the balanced equation:
The reaction can be written as:
[
\text{Cr(NO}_3\text{)}_3 (aq) + \text{Na}_3\text{PO}_4 (aq) \rightarrow \text{CrPO}_4 (s) + 3 \text{NaNO}_3 (aq)
]
Final chemical equation:
[
\text{Cr(NO}_3\text{)}_3 (aq) + \text{Na}_3\text{PO}_4 (aq) \rightarrow \text{CrPO}_4 (s) + 3 \text{NaNO}_3 (aq)
]
Explanation:
In this reaction, the chromium(III) ions react with the phosphate ions to form chromium(III) phosphate, which is insoluble and precipitates out of the solution. The sodium ions combine with nitrate ions to form sodium nitrate, which remains dissolved in the solution. The phases are specified as aqueous (aq) for soluble compounds, solid (s) for the precipitate, and aqueous for the product that remains dissolved in the solution.
Thus, the correct balanced chemical equation reflects the formation of a precipitate, which is a characteristic feature of many double displacement reactions involving insoluble products.