Final answer:
The net ionic equation for the reaction of MgSO4 with Ba(NO3)2 is Ba2+ (aq) + SO42- (aq) → BaSO4 (s), showing the formation of the insoluble precipitate barium sulfate.
Step-by-step explanation:
The net ionic equation for the reaction of MgSO₄ with Ba(NO₃)2 is:
Ba²+ (aq) + SO4²- (aq) → BaSO₄ (s)
In this reaction, the BaSO₄ precipitates out of the solution as a solid. The net ionic equation only includes the ions that participate in the reaction and excludes the spectator ions, which are ions that do not undergo a chemical change and remain in solution as ions. By writing the net ionic equation, we focus on the essential components of the reaction.
The net ionic equation of the reaction of MgSO4 with Ba(NO3)2 shows only the species that change during the reaction. In this case, Ba2+ from barium nitrate reacts with SO42- from magnesium sulfate to form barium sulfate precipitate:
Ba2+ (aq) + SO42- (aq) → BaSO4 (s)
Ba2+ and SO42- are the ions that participate in the formation of the precipitate BaSO4, which is insoluble in water, hence it is the only compound in the solid state in the net ionic equation. The ions Mg2+ and NO3-, which come from the original compounds, do not participate in the formation of a precipitate and remain in the solution as spectator ions.