1. Identify the Products
This is a classic acid-base neutralization reaction. The products will be:
* Salt: Calcium hypochlorite (Ca(ClO)₂)
* Water: H₂O
2. Write the Balanced Chemical Equation
2 HClO(aq) + Ca(OH)₂(aq) → Ca(ClO)₂(aq) + 2 H₂O(l)
3. Ionic Equation
To write the ionic equation, we separate the soluble ionic compounds into their respective ions:
2 H⁺(aq) + 2 ClO⁻(aq) + Ca²⁺(aq) + 2 OH⁻(aq) → Ca²⁺(aq) + 2 ClO⁻(aq) + 2 H₂O(l)
4. Net Ionic Equation
The net ionic equation shows only the species that are directly involved in the reaction:
2 H⁺(aq) + 2 OH⁻(aq) → 2 H₂O(l)
Simplified Net Ionic Equation:
H⁺(aq) + OH⁻(aq) → H₂O(l)
Important Note: This reaction produces the salt calcium hypochlorite (Ca(ClO)₂). The ionic formula for this salt is Ca²⁺ and 2 ClO⁻ ions.
