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Multiple Choice
Identify the correct balanced equation and net ionic equation for the reaction between aqueous hydrochloric acid (HCl) and solid calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
Step 1: Begin by writing the chemical formulas for the reactants and products involved in the reaction. The reactants are hydrochloric acid (HCl) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3), and the products are calcium chloride (CaCl2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and water (H2O).
Step 2: Write the unbalanced chemical equation using the formulas from Step 1: HCl(aq) + CaCO3(s) β CaCl2(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l).
Step 3: Balance the chemical equation by ensuring the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Start by balancing the number of H atoms by placing a coefficient of 2 in front of HCl: 2HCl(aq) + CaCO3(s) β CaCl2(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l).
Step 4: Identify the ions involved in the reaction to write the net ionic equation. Hydrochloric acid dissociates into H+ and Cl- ions in solution, and calcium carbonate is a solid that dissociates into Ca^2+ and CO3^2- ions. The net ionic equation focuses on the ions that participate in the reaction: 2H+(aq) + CaCO3(s) β Ca^2+(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l).
Step 5: Verify the net ionic equation by ensuring that it includes only the ions and molecules directly involved in the chemical change, excluding spectator ions. In this case, Cl- ions are spectator ions and do not appear in the net ionic equation.