Net Ionic Equation Calculator
Pick two dissolved ionic compounds and this calculator swaps their partners, checks the solubility rules and cancels the spectator ions to give the net ionic equation.
| Molecular equation | AgNO₃ + NaCl → AgCl↓ + NaNO₃ |
|---|---|
| Precipitate | Silver Chloride |
| Spectator ions (cancelled) | sodium, nitrate |
Pick the cation and anion of each dissolved reactant. The calculator swaps partners, checks solubility and cancels the spectator ions.
How to write a net ionic equation by hand
- Write the balanced molecular equation for the reaction.
- Split every soluble ionic compound into its separate ions (this is the full or "complete ionic" equation). Solids, liquids and gases stay as whole formulas.
- Cancel any ion that appears unchanged on both sides — these are the spectator ions.
- What's left is the net ionic equation: only the ions (or molecules) that actually change.
Worked example: silver nitrate + sodium chloride
Molecular equation: AgNO₃ + NaCl → AgCl↓ + NaNO₃. Splitting the soluble compounds into ions gives Ag⁺ + NO₃⁻ + Na⁺ + Cl⁻ → AgCl(s) + Na⁺ + NO₃⁻. Na⁺ and NO₃⁻ appear unchanged on both sides, so they cancel as spectator ions, leaving the net ionic equation: Ag⁺(aq) + Cl⁻(aq) → AgCl(s).
Mix real chemicals, watch precipitates form and see every balanced equation worked out in the Laboratorio de Química below.
Preguntas frecuentes
What is a net ionic equation?
An equation that shows only the ions that actually react, leaving out the spectator ions that stay dissolved and unchanged on both sides.
What are spectator ions?
Ions that appear in the same form on both sides of the full equation. They don’t take part in the reaction, so they are left out of the net ionic equation.
How do you know if a precipitate forms?
Swap the partners of the two dissolved compounds (the cation of one with the anion of the other) and check the solubility rules. If either new pairing is insoluble, it forms a solid precipitate.
What happens when an acid reacts with a base?
The H⁺ ion from the acid and the OH⁻ ion from the base combine to form water. The net ionic equation is always H⁺(aq) + OH⁻(aq) → H₂O(l), whatever the acid and base.
