What happens when silver nitrate solution is added to sodium chloride solution

Today you will explore what happens when silver nitrate is added to a sodium chloride solution. You will find a complete explanation of the reaction between silver nitrate and sodium chloride.

Let’s begin

When silver nitrate solution is added to sodium chloride, silver chloride, and sodium nitrate are produced.

 

Sodium chloride reacts with silver nitrate balanced equation

AgNO₃   + NaCl →AgCl_(s)   +NaNO_3(aq)

 

 This reaction is a precipitation reaction because silver chloride is insoluble and forms a solid precipitate.

 

Both silver nitrate and silver chloride are ionic compounds so silver ions(`Ag^+`) and nitrate ions(`NO_3^(2-)`) from silver nitrate are formed and at the same time sodium ions(`Na^+`) and chloride ions(`Cl^-`) from sodium chloride are formed.

AgNO₃    → Ag⁺    + `NO_3^(2-)`

NaCl    →  Na⁺    +    Cl^-

 

Silver ions combine with chloride ions to form silver chloride and sodium ions combine with nitrate ions to form sodium nitrate.

Ag⁺   +    Cl^-   →AgCl_(s)

Na⁺    +     `NO_3^(2-)`   → NaNO_3(aq)

 

So, when sodium chloride reacts with silver nitrate, silver chloride precipitates, and sodium nitrate remains in an aqueous form.

 

Overall, the reaction results in the exchange of ions between the reactants to form two new compounds. The reaction is known as a double displacement reaction.

It can also be called the silver nitrate and sodium chloride precipitation reaction due to the formation of a precipitate of silver chloride.

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FAQs

1.  What is the silver nitrate formula?

Ans.-    `AgNO_3`

2.  What is the sodium nitrate formula?

Ans.- `NaNO_3`

3. Dilute sodium chloride reacts with silver nitrate how do we represent precipitate in symbolic form?

Ans. - When dilute sodium chloride reacts with silver nitrate, the precipitate that forms is silver chloride (AgCl).

 NaCl(aq) + AgNO3(aq) → AgCl(s) + NaNO3(aq)

In symbolic form, the precipitate would be represented as "AgCl(s)" where "s" denotes that it is solid.

4. What is the balanced chemical equation for the reaction between silver nitrate and sodium chloride?

AgNO₃   + NaCl →AgCl_(s)   +NaNO_3(aq)

 

5. What are the products formed when silver nitrate reacts with sodium chloride?

Ans.-  Silver chloride and sodium nitrate

6. What type of reaction occurs when silver nitrate and sodium chloride are mixed?

Ans. Double displacement

7. What is the colour of the precipitate of silver chloride?

Ans. - White