Spectator Ions

[IsabelMurillo3K]

Hey guys!
On question six of the sapling homework #2, it used the term spectator ion in the explanation of the answer, and I was wondering if anyone could explain what that term means?
Thank you!

[Bella Bursulaya 3G]

I think that spectator ions are just there in solution, but they are present on both sides of the equation. So if you had Na2SO4, you would break it up into 2 Na+ and SO4-2 and those are ions, which if they appear on both sides of the equation they can cancel out. It's often called a net ionic equation because if they show up on both sides of the equation, they can be cancelled out

[Giselle Granda 3F]

Hi! Spectator ions are basically ions that do not take part in the chemical reaction. Instead they just remain the solution and just observe.

[Neel Sharma 3F]

Spectator ions are aspects of the reaction that do not contribute to the change from reactants to products and since they are the same on both sides of the reaction, they are often excluded from consideration. In Acid/Base chemistry, the conjugate acids/bases of strong acids/bases will not contribute to the equation, often in a salt solution, and are thus called spectator ions. Hope this helps!

[JoshMoore2B]

Hey guys!
On question six of the sapling homework #2, it used the term spectator ion in the explanation of the answer, and I was wondering if anyone could explain what that term means?
Thank you!

Spectator ions are those ions that, because of their chemical properties, aren't strong enough to interact with the compounds in the solution to make a meaningful chemical difference, so they are ignored.

For example, if NaCl is dissolved in water, it is dissolved into Na+ and Cl-. Both of these are charged, so it might seem like they would have a chemical impact on the water (and perhaps remove OH- and H+ from water molecules). However, Na+ and Cl- both are relatively weak ions, and so they don't have the strength to cause such change. Therefore, they are called spectator ions, since they can't do anything but "spectate."

[Sara Sandri 2B]

Spectator ions just kinda sit in the solution and don't really do anything. They don't take part in the chemical reaction and are found in the solution both before an after the chemical reaction has occurred.

[Nick Saeedi 1I]

Spectator ions do not react so in terms of acids and bases, spectator ions will not change the pH.