Which mixture of aqueous solutions result in the formation of a precipitate?

A precipitate is a solid formed in a double displacement reaction between two aqueous solutions.

A precipitate is a solid formed in a double displacement reaction.

This occurs specifically when two aqueous solutions (typically clear solutions) react, forming one aqueous compound and one solid - that's the precipitate.

The precipitate is insoluble in water, something all precipitates have in common.

For example,

Silver nitrate reacts with sodium chloride, yeilding silver chloride and sodium nitrate.

#AgNO_"3" (aq) + NaCl (aq)-> AgCl (s) + NaNO_"3" (aq)#

The precipitate is #AgCl#, because it's unsoluble.

Hope this helps :)

Using Solubility Rules to Predict Precipitates in Reaction

Lead iodide precipitates when potassium iodide is mixed with lead nitrate. PRHaney / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Updated on October 09, 2019

When two aqueous solutions of ionic compounds are mixed together, the resulting reaction may produce a solid precipitate. This guide will show how to use the solubility rules for inorganic compounds to predict whether or not the product will remain in solution or form a precipitate.
Aqueous solutions of ionic compounds are comprised of the ions making up the compound dissociated in water. These solutions are represented in chemical equations in the form: AB(aq) where A is the cation and B is the anion.
When two aqueous solutions are mixed, the ions interact to form products.
AB(aq) + CD(aq) → products
This reaction is generally a double replacement reaction in the form:
AB(aq) + CD(aq) → AD + CB
The question remains, will AD or CB remain in solution or form a solid precipitate?
A precipitate will form if the resulting compound is insoluble in water. For example, a silver nitrate solution (AgNO3) is mixed with a solution of magnesium bromide (MgBr2). The balanced reaction would be:
2 AgNO3(aq) + MgBr2 → 2 AgBr(?) + Mg(NO3)2(?)
The state of the products needs to be determined. Are the products soluble in water?
According to the solubility rules, all silver salts are insoluble in water with the exception of silver nitrate, silver acetate and silver sulfate. Therefore, AgBr will precipitate out.
The other compound Mg(NO3)2 will remain in solution because all nitrates, (NO3)-, are soluble in water. The resulting balanced reaction would be:
2 AgNO3(aq) + MgBr2 → 2 AgBr(s) + Mg(NO3)2(aq)
Consider the reaction:
KCl(aq) + Pb(NO3)2(aq) → products
What would be the expected products and will a precipitate form?
The products should rearrange the ions to:
KCl(aq) + Pb(NO3)2(aq) → KNO3(?) + PbCl2(?)
After balancing the equation,
2 KCl(aq) + Pb(NO3)2(aq) → 2 KNO3(?) + PbCl2(?)
KNO3 will remain in solution since all nitrates are soluble in water. Chlorides are soluble in water with the exception of silver, lead and mercury. This means PbCl2 is insoluble and form a precipitate. The finished reaction is:
2 KCl(aq) + Pb(NO3)2(aq) → 2 KNO3(aq) + PbCl2(s)
The solubility rules are a useful guideline to predict whether a compound will dissolve or form a precipitate. There are many other factors that can affect solubility, but these rules are a good first step to determine the outcome of aqueous solution reactions.

Tips for Success Predicting a Precipitate

The key to predicting a precipitate is to learn the solubility rules. Pay particular attention to compounds listed as "slightly soluble" and remember that temperature affects solubility. For example, a solution of calcium chloride is typically considered soluble in water, yet if the water is cold enough, the salt doesn't readily dissolve. Transition metal compounds may form a precipitate under cold conditions, yet dissolve when it's warmer. Also, consider the presence of other ions in a solution. This can affect solubility in unexpected ways, sometimes causing a precipitate to form when you didn't expect it.

Source

  • Zumdahl, Steven S. (2005). Chemical Principles (5th ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-37206-7.

Watch Now: How to Balance Chemical Equations

Formation of an insoluble compound will sometimes occur when a solution containing a particular cation (a positively charged ion) is mixed with another solution containing a particular anion (a negatively charged ion). The solid that separates is called a precipitate.

Compounds having anions such as sulfide (S2−), hydroxide (OH−), carbonate (CO32−), and phosphate (PO43−) are often insoluble in water. A precipitate will form if a solution containing one of these anions is added to a solution containing a metal cation such as Fe2+, Cu2+, or Al3+. Fe2+(aq) + 2 OH−(aq) → Fe(OH)2(s) Al3+(aq) + PO43−(aq) → AlPO4(s) Minerals are water-insoluble compounds. Precipitation reactions in nature can account for mineral formation in many cases, such as with undersea vents called “black smokers” that form metal sulfides.

Classification by types of reactants

Two types of reactions involve transfer of a charged species. Oxidation-reduction reactions occur with electron transfer between reagents. In contrast, reactions of acids with bases in water involve proton (H+) transfer from an acid to a base.

Oxidation-reduction reactions

Oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions involve the transfer of one or more electrons from a reducing agent to an oxidizing agent. This has the effect of reducing the real or apparent electric charge on an atom in the substance being reduced and of increasing the real or apparent electric charge on an atom in the substance being oxidized. Simple redox reactions include the reactions of an element with oxygen. For example, magnesium burns in oxygen to form magnesium oxide (MgO). The product is an ionic compound, made up of Mg2+ and O2− ions. The reaction occurs with each magnesium atom giving up two electrons and being oxidized and each oxygen atom accepting two electrons and being reduced.

Which mixture of aqueous solutions result in the formation of a precipitate?

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Another common redox reaction is one step in the rusting of iron in damp air. 2Fe(s) + 2H2O(l) + O2(g) → 2Fe(OH)2(s) Here iron metal is oxidized to iron dihydroxide (Fe(OH)2); elemental oxygen (O2) is the oxidizing agent.

Redox reactions are the source of the energy of batteries. The electric current generated by a battery arises because electrons are transferred from a reducing agent to an oxidizing agent through the external circuitry. In a common dry cell and in alkaline batteries, two electrons per zinc atom are transferred to the oxidizing agent, thereby converting zinc metal to the Zn2+ ion. In dry-cell batteries, which are often used in flashlights, the electrons given up by zinc are taken up by ammonium ions (NH4+) present in the battery as ammonium chloride (NH4Cl). In alkaline batteries, which are used in calculators and watches, the electrons are transferred to a metal oxide such as silver oxide (AgO), which is reduced to silver metal in the process.

Acid-base reactions

Acids and bases are important compounds in the natural world, so their chemistry is central to any discussion of chemical reactions. There are several theories of acid-base behaviour.

The Arrhenius theory

The Arrhenius theory, named after Swedish physicist Svante August Arrhenius, views an acid as a substance that increases the concentration of the hydronium ion (H3O+) in an aqueous solution and a base as a substance that increases the hydroxide ion (OH−) concentration. Well-known acids include hydrochloric acid (HCl), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), nitric acid (HNO3), and acetic acid (CH3COOH). Bases includes such common substances as caustic soda (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) and slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2). Another common base is ammonia (NH3), which reacts with water to give a basic solution according to the following balanced equation. NH3(aq) + H2O(l) → NH4+(aq) + OH−(aq) (This reaction occurs to a very small extent; the hydroxide ion concentration is small but measurable.)

A large number of natural bases are known, including morphine, cocaine, nicotine, and caffeine; many synthetic drugs are also bases. All of these contain a nitrogen atom bonded to three other groups, and all behave similarly to ammonia in that they can react with water to give a solution containing the hydroxide ion.

Amino acids, a very important class of compounds, are able to function both as acids and as bases. Amino acid molecules contain both acidic (―COOH) and basic (―NH2) sites. In an aqueous solution, amino acids exist in both the molecular form and the so-called "zwitterionic" form, H3N + CH2CO2−. In this structure the nitrogen atom bears a positive charge, and the oxygen atom of the acid group bears a negative charge.

According to the Arrhenius theory, acid-base reactions involve the combination of the hydrogen ion (H+) and the hydroxide ion to form water. An example is the reaction of aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid. HCl(aq) + NaOH(aq) → NaCl(aq) + H2O (l)

What aqueous solutions form a precipitate?

Compounds having anions such as sulfide (S2), hydroxide (OH), carbonate (CO32), and phosphate (PO43) are often insoluble in water. A precipitate will form if a solution containing one of these anions is added to a solution containing a metal cation such as Fe2+, Cu2+, or Al3+.

Which combinations of aqueous solutions will most likely form a precipitate?

A precipitate will form if the resulting compound is insoluble in water. For example, a silver nitrate solution (AgNO3) is mixed with a solution of magnesium bromide (MgBr2).

What is an example of a formation of a precipitate?

One of the best examples of precipitation reactions is the chemical reaction between potassium chloride and silver nitrate, in which solid silver chloride is precipitated out. This is the insoluble salt formed as a product of the precipitation reaction.

Do aqueous solutions produces a precipitate?

When two aqueous solutions react, they sometimes form solids in the solution. The solid is called a precipitate. Precipitation reactions occur when the cations of one reactant and the anions of a second reactant found in aqueous solutions combine to form an insoluble ionic solid that we call a precipitate.