Identify the reactants and products in the given chemical equation: HC2H3O2(aq) + LiOH(aq) → LiC2H3O2(aq) + H2O(l).
Write the dissociation of the reactants into ions: HC2H3O2 does not dissociate completely, so it remains as HC2H3O2(aq). LiOH dissociates into Li+(aq) and OH-(aq).
Write the dissociation of the products into ions: LiC2H3O2 dissociates into Li+(aq) and C2H3O2-(aq). H2O remains as a molecule and does not dissociate.
Combine the ions from the reactants and products to form the complete ionic equation: H+(aq) + C2H3O2-(aq) + Li+(aq) + OH-(aq) → Li+(aq) + C2H3O2-(aq) + H2O(l).
Identify and cancel out the spectator ions, which are ions that appear on both sides of the equation without undergoing any change. In this case, Li+(aq) is a spectator ion. The net ionic equation is: HC2H3O2(aq) + OH-(aq) → C2H3O2-(aq) + H2O(l).