Question

Which of the following would you expect to see written as separated ions in an ionic equation?

H2(g)


H2O(l)


H2S(g)


HCl(aq)

Answer 1

HCl(aq) would be expected to see written as separated ions in an ionic equation.

When HCl is dissolved in water, it ionizes completely to form H+ and Cl- ions, which are free to move around in solution. Therefore, in an ionic equation, HCl(aq) would be written as H+(aq) + Cl-(aq).

In contrast, H2(g), H2O(l), and H2S(g) are covalent compounds that do not ionize in water, so they would not be written as separated ions in an ionic equation.