What is the complete ionic equation for the reaction of hydrochloric acid with potassium hydroxide?

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Answer 1 · 2016-12-05T02:03:10

$H^+ + Cl^- + K^+ + OH^- = K^+ Cl^- + H_2O$

Hydrochloric acid is HCl. This is an ionic substance so in water it breaks apart into ions $H^+ + Cl_-$

Potassium Hydroxide is also an ionic substance it also breaks apart in water into ions $K^+ + OH^-$

So the complete ionic equation for the reaction is

$H^+ + Cl^- + K^+ + OH^- = K^+ + Cl^- + H_2O$

The Hydrogen ion and the Hydroxide ions combine to form water.

The net ionic equation is

$H^+ + OH^- = H_2O$

This is because the $Cl^- + K^+$ ions do not undergo any changes therefore are not part of the net ionic equation.