Question

Define a precipitation reaction. Give its example and also express the reaction that occurs in the form of a balanced chemical equation.

Hint:

Precipitation reactions are important in many processes like water purification and qualitative analysis.

Answer 1

A precipitation reaction happens when two dissolved salts in water mix and create a solid that doesn't dissolve, called a precipitate.
Example: Silver nitrate and sodium chloride combine to make a white precipitate of silver chloride: \[ {AgNO}_3 \, ({aq}) + {NaCl} \, ({aq}) \rightarrow {AgCl} \, ({s}) + {NaNO}_3 \, ({aq}) \] Silver chloride (AgCl) is the precipitate in this reaction.