When acetic acid (HC2H3O2) reacts with ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH), the primary products formed are ammonium acetate (NH4C2H3O2) and water (H2O). To derive the net ionic and total ionic equations, we first need to write the complete ionic equation for this reaction.
The total ionic equation can be represented as follows:
HC2H3O2 (aq) + NH4OH (aq) → NH4C2H3O2 (aq) + H2O (l)When we dissociate the soluble strong electrolyte (NH4OH) and weak electrolyte (HC2H3O2) into their respective ions, we get:
HC2H3O2 (aq) + NH4+ (aq) + OH- (aq) → NH4+ (aq) + C2H3O2- (aq) + H2O (l)Now, we can see that ammonium ions (NH4+) appear on both sides of the equation, indicating that they do not participate in the reaction. We can eliminate the spectator ions to obtain the net ionic equation:
HC2H3O2 (aq) + OH- (aq) → C2H3O2- (aq) + H2O (l)This net ionic equation shows the actual chemical change that occurs in the reaction, highlighting the interaction between acetic acid and hydroxide ions. In summary,:
- Total Ionic Equation:
HC2H3O2 (aq) + NH4OH (aq) → NH4C2H3O2 (aq) + H2O (l) - Net Ionic Equation:
HC2H3O2 (aq) + OH- (aq) → C2H3O2- (aq) + H2O (l)