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An ion that appears unchanged on both sides and is removed to give the net ionic equation is called a:
AComplex ion
BHydronium ion
CSpectator ion
DPolyatomic ion
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Spectator ion
1. A complete ionic equation shows every dissolved ion explicitly.
2. Some of those ions take no part in the chemistry at all.
3. Identify the spectator ion, in one worked case sodium, and remove it from each side of the equation to generate the net ionic equation.
4. What remains is the chemistry that actually happened.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 4 'Stoichiometry of Chemical Reactions', sections 4.1-4.5_
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