Chemistry / Unit 3 Chem 0450 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Writing Net Ionic Equations for Acid-Base Reactions
The idea
Writing a net ionic equation for an acid-base reaction means dissociating every strong acid and strong base into ions, then canceling spectators to leave only the ions that combine.
In practice
Barium hydroxide is neutralized with nitric acid. The molecular equation is Ba(OH)2 + 2HNO3 → Ba(NO3)2 + 2H2O. The complete ionic form dissociates Ba(OH)2 into Ba2+ and OH−, HNO3 into H3O+ and NO3−, and Ba(NO3)2 into its ions, keeping the water product intact. Canceling spectator Ba2+ and NO3− leaves the net ionic equation H3O+ + OH− → 2H2O — the result any strong acid neutralized by any ionic hydroxide reduces to.
Where people slip
Writing HNO3's dissociation as a bare H+ ion, rather than as H3O+, or dissociating the intact water product itself while writing the complete ionic form, both destroy the cancellation that produces this net ionic equation.
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