Question

predicting the products of a replacement reaction
based on the replacement reaction, what would the products of the reaction be?
beso₄ + 2nh₄oh → be( )₂ + (nh₄)₂so₄

Explanation:

Step1: Identify Reaction Type

This is a double - replacement reaction. In a double - replacement reaction, the positive ions (cations) and negative ions (anions) of the two reactants switch places. The general form of a double - replacement reaction is \(AB + CD
ightarrow AD+CB\).

Step2: Analyze Ions in Reactants

For the reactants \(BeSO_4\) and \(2NH_4OH\):

• In \(BeSO_4\), the cation is \(Be^{2 + }\) and the anion is \(SO_4^{2-}\).
• In \(NH_4OH\) (which can be thought of as \(NH_4^+\) and \(OH^-\) ions), the cation is \(NH_4^+\) and the anion is \(OH^-\).

Step3: Determine Products by Swapping Ions

When we swap the cations and anions, the cation from the first compound (\(Be^{2+}\)) combines with the anion from the second compound (\(OH^-\)), and the cation from the second compound (\(NH_4^+\)) combines with the anion from the first compound (\(SO_4^{2-}\)).

• The combination of \(Be^{2+}\) and \(OH^-\): Since the charge of \(Be\) is \( + 2\) and the charge of \(OH^-\) is \(- 1\), to form a neutral compound, we need 2 \(OH^-\) ions for each \(Be^{2+}\) ion. So the formula is \(Be(OH)_2\).
• The combination of \(NH_4^+\) and \(SO_4^{2-}\): Since the charge of \(NH_4^+\) is \(+1\) and the charge of \(SO_4^{2-}\) is \(-2\), we need 2 \(NH_4^+\) ions for each \(SO_4^{2-}\) ion, giving us \((NH_4)_2SO_4\) (which is already given in the equation).

Answer:

\(OH\) (The formula of the compound is \(Be(OH)_2\), so the missing part in the formula \(Be(\underline{OH})_2\) is \(OH\))