Chemical Reactions

Question

Not all chemical reactions can be represented by net ionic equations. Why can you not write a net ionic equation to show what happens in the following reaction:

Carbonic acid (H₂CO_3(aq)) decomposes into carbon dioxide and water

Answer 1

molecular equation: H2CO3(aq)→CO2(g)+H2O(l)

H2CO3(aq) will not dissociate into ions because it's a weak acid

CO2(g) will not dissociate into ions because it's a gas

H2O(l) will not dissociate into ions because it's a liquid

Therefore, the molecular and net ionic equations are the same:

net ionic: H2CO3(aq)→CO2(g)+H2O(l)