Here's what happens:
1. The reactants:
* Silver nitrate (AgNO₃) is a soluble ionic compound, meaning it dissolves in water to form silver ions (Ag⁺) and nitrate ions (NO₃⁻).
* Sodium phosphate (Na₃PO₄) is also a soluble ionic compound, forming sodium ions (Na⁺) and phosphate ions (PO₄³⁻) in solution.
2. The reaction:
When these solutions are mixed, the silver ions (Ag⁺) from silver nitrate react with the phosphate ions (PO₄³⁻) from sodium phosphate. This forms silver phosphate (Ag₃PO₄), a yellow solid that is insoluble in water and therefore precipitates out of the solution.
3. The balanced chemical equation:
The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:
3AgNO₃(aq) + Na₃PO₄(aq) → Ag₃PO₄(s) + 3NaNO₃(aq)
4. The products:
* Silver phosphate (Ag₃PO₄): This is the precipitate, a yellow solid that forms.
* Sodium nitrate (NaNO₃): This is a soluble ionic compound that remains in solution.
In summary:
The reaction of silver nitrate with sodium phosphate produces silver phosphate as a yellow precipitate and sodium nitrate in solution. This is a double displacement reaction, and it's a good example of how ionic compounds can react to form new compounds with different properties.
