Final answer:
The reactants in the chemical equation HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H₂O are hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH), which undergo a neutralization reaction to form sodium chloride (NaCl) and water (H₂O) as products.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reactants in the chemical equation HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) → NaCl (aq) + H₂O (l) are hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). A reactant is generally referred to as the starting substance in a chemical reaction.
In this equation, HCl and NaOH combine to produce sodium chloride (NaCl) and water (H₂O) in a neutralization reaction. The reaction is considered to proceed to completion as indicated by the single arrow, suggesting that it is effectively irreversible in the given conditions.
The net ionic equation demonstrates the reaction that occurs between the ions that change during the reaction. For this neutralization reaction, the net ionic equation is H+ (aq) + OH⁻(aq) → H₂O (l), showing that the key chemical change is the combination of the hydrogen ion (H+) and the hydroxide ion (OH⁻) to form water.