What are the products of K_3PO_4 + AlCl_3?

1 Answer
Jan 6, 2016

Aluminium phosphate and aqueous potassium chloride.

Explanation:

Potassium phosphate, "K"_3"PO"_4, and aluminium chloride, "AlCl"_3, are soluble ionic compounds, which means that they exist as ions in aqueous solution.

"K"_3"PO"_text(4(aq]) -> 3"K"_text((aq])^(+) + "PO"_text(4(aq])^(3-)

"AlCl"_text(3(aq]) -> "Al"_text((aq])^(3+) + 3"Cl"_text((aq])^(-)

When these two solutions are mixed, the aluminium cations, "Al"^(3+), and phosphate anions, "PO"_4^(3-), will react to form aluminium phosphate, "AlPO"_4, an Insoluble solid that precipitates out of solution.

The potassium cations, "K"^(+), and chloride anions, "Cl"^(-), will form potassium chloride, "KCl". However, this salt is soluble in aqueous solution, so it will actually exist as cations and anions.

This means that you have

"K"_3"PO"_text(4(aq]) + "AlCl"_text(3(aq]) -> "AlPO"_text(4(s]) darr + 3"KCl"_text((aq])

The complete ionic equation, which features all the ions present in solution, will be

3"K"_text((aq])^(+) + "PO"_text(4(aq])^(3-) + "Al"_text((aq])^(3+) + 3"Cl"_text((aq])^(-) -> "AlPO"_text(4(s]) darr + 3"K"_text((aq])^(+) + 3"Cl"_text((aq])^(-)

If you remove the spectator ions, which are ions present on both sides of the equation, you'll get the net ionic equation

color(red)(cancel(color(black)(3"K"_text((aq])^(+)))) + "PO"_text(4(aq])^(3-) + "Al"_text((aq])^(3+) + color(red)(cancel(color(black)(3"Cl"_text((aq])^(-)))) -> "AlPO"_text(4(s]) darr + color(red)(cancel(color(black)(3"K"_text((aq])^(+)))) + color(red)(cancel(color(black)(3"Cl"_text((aq])^(-))))

which looks like this

"Al"_text((aq])^(3+) + "PO"_text(4(aq])^(3-) -> "AlPO"_text(4(s]) darr