Final Answer:
The formation of a white precipitate in your sodium chloride solution upon contact with silver nitrate indicates the presence of chloride ions, confirming a chemical reaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a clear sodium chloride solution comes into contact with silver nitrate, a chemical reaction known as a double displacement reaction takes place. In this reaction, the silver ions (Ag⁺) from silver nitrate react with the chloride ions (Cl⁻) from sodium chloride, resulting in the formation of silver chloride (AgCl) as a white precipitate. The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:
![\[ \text{NaCl (aq)} + \text{AgNO}_3 (aq) \rightarrow \text{AgCl (s)} + \text{NaNO}_3 (aq) \]](https://img.qammunity.org/2024/formulas/chemistry/high-school/ic8axmzuyjju1ywatoe503cdn8c0ty8noz.png)
The white precipitate, silver chloride, is insoluble in water and appears cloudy when formed. This reaction is a confirmation test for chloride ions, as it uniquely produces a visible product. The reaction is driven by the insolubility of silver chloride, causing it to separate from the solution in the form of a solid. This type of qualitative analysis is commonly employed in chemistry to identify the presence of specific ions in a solution, and the characteristic formation of a precipitate serves as a visual indicator of the chemical reaction occurring.