What is the ionic equation for the reaction of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide in solution?

The ionic equation for the reaction between hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in solution focuses on the species that actually undergo a chemical change. In this reaction, hydrochloric acid dissociates into hydrogen ions (H+) and chloride ions (Cl-), while sodium hydroxide dissociates into sodium ions (Na+) and hydroxide ions (OH-).

The actual chemical reaction involves the hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions combining to form water (H2O). Therefore, the key components of the ionic equation reflect these reactants and products:

H+ from the acid and OH- from the base combine to form H2O, and the sodium ions (Na+) and chloride ions (Cl-) are spectator ions because they do not participate in the actual formation of the water. As a result, they remain unchanged in the solution throughout the reaction.

Thus, the right choice clearly illustrates that H+ and OH- come together to produce H2O, while the spectator ions Na+ and Cl- remain in the solution:

H+ + Cl- + OH- → Na+ + Cl- + H2O.

This representation succinctly captures the essence of the reaction, allowing us to specifically focus on the formation