1. Write the balanced chemical equation:
CaCl₂(aq) + Na₂S(aq) → CaS(s) + 2 NaCl(aq)
2. Break down the soluble ionic compounds into their ions:
* CaCl₂(aq) → Ca²⁺(aq) + 2 Cl⁻(aq)
* Na₂S(aq) → 2 Na⁺(aq) + S²⁻(aq)
* 2 NaCl(aq) → 2 Na⁺(aq) + 2 Cl⁻(aq)
3. Write the complete ionic equation:
Ca²⁺(aq) + 2 Cl⁻(aq) + 2 Na⁺(aq) + S²⁻(aq) → CaS(s) + 2 Na⁺(aq) + 2 Cl⁻(aq)
4. Cancel out spectator ions (ions that appear on both sides of the equation):
The spectator ions are Na⁺ and Cl⁻.
5. Write the net ionic equation:
Ca²⁺(aq) + S²⁻(aq) → CaS(s)
This is the ionic equation for the reaction of calcium chloride and sodium sulfide.