Final answer:
When there is no net ionic equation, it means that all the reactants and products in the chemical equation are aqueous and no solid precipitate is formed. This typically happens when the reactants are already in their fully dissociated form in aqueous solution, and there are no new compounds formed as a result.
Step-by-step explanation:
When there is no net ionic equation, it means that all the reactants and products in the chemical equation are aqueous and no solid precipitate is formed. In other words, there is no discernible chemical reaction or change occurring between the ions in solution. This typically happens when the reactants are already in their fully dissociated form in aqueous solution, and there are no new compounds formed as a result. As a result, all the ions that are present on both sides of the equation, known as spectator ions, cancel each other out and are omitted in the net ionic equation.
For example, consider the reaction of sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium nitrate (KNO3) in aqueous solution:
NaCl(aq) + KNO3(aq) → NaNO3(aq) + KCl(aq)
In this case, all the compounds are aqueous, and no precipitate is formed. As a result, the net ionic equation for this reaction would be:
Cl⁻(aq) + Na⁺(aq) + K⁺(aq) + NO3⁻(aq) → Na⁺(aq) + K⁺(aq) + NO3⁻(aq) + Cl⁻(aq)