Fundamental M.9 [ENDORSED]

[Leslie Cheng 4B]

Hi, this problem states that copper (II) nitrate reacts with sodium hydroxide to produce a precipitate of light blue copper (II) hydroxide. It asks you to write the net ionic equation for the reaction. What does net ionic equation mean?

[Ramsha Dis1B]

I believe that first you can write the soluble ionic compounds as dissociated ions to get the complete ionic equation but you still have leave out the spectator ions (the ones that stay the same in the reactant and product side) from the equation since they do not change.

[Ania Chavez Dis 4D]

A net ionic equation is a chemical equation that only shows elements, compounds, or ions that are directly involved in the chemical reaction.
So when you write out the ionic equation for NaOH + Cu(NO3)2 --> Cu(OH)2 + NaNO3 :
Cu2+ + 2NO3- + 2Na+ + 2OH- ---> Cu(OH)2 + 2Na+ + 2NO3-

Since 2Na+ and 2NO3- remain unchanged on both sides, they are not involved in the chemical reaction.
The final net ionic equation is:
Cu2+ + 2OH- --> Cu(OH)2

sorry if i wrote too much or explained wrong.

[ThomascnguyenDis1J]

Thank you Ania for the explanation. It really helped a lot. So would you say that if they ask you for any net equation and there is a reactant and product that does not change, they would just cancel each other out?