Here's the balanced chemical equation:
Na₂CO₃ (aq) + CaCl₂ (aq) → CaCO₃ (s) + 2 NaCl (aq)
This reaction is a double displacement reaction. Here's what happens:
* Sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) is a soluble salt, meaning it dissolves in water to form sodium ions (Na⁺) and carbonate ions (CO₃²⁻).
* Calcium chloride (CaCl₂) is also a soluble salt, forming calcium ions (Ca²⁺) and chloride ions (Cl⁻) in solution.
* When these solutions are mixed, the calcium ions and carbonate ions react to form calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), which is insoluble in water and precipitates out of solution as a white solid.
* The remaining ions, sodium (Na⁺) and chloride (Cl⁻), remain in solution as sodium chloride (NaCl).
This reaction is also an example of a precipitation reaction because a solid product forms.
