Identify the spectator ions in this reaction:

[tex]\[ H^{+} + Br^{-} + K^{+} + OH^{-} \rightarrow K^{+} + Br^{-} + H_{2}O \][/tex]

A. [tex]\( H^{+} \)[/tex] and [tex]\( K^{+} \)[/tex]

B. [tex]\( Br^{-} \)[/tex] and [tex]\( OH^{-} \)[/tex]

C. [tex]\( K^{+} \)[/tex] and [tex]\( Br^{-} \)[/tex]



Answer :

Certainly! To identify the spectator ions in the given reaction, we need to carefully analyze the reactants and products to see which ions remain unchanged throughout the reaction.

The given reaction is:
[tex]\[ H^+ + Br^- + K^+ + OH^- \rightarrow K^+ + Br^- + H_2O \][/tex]

Here are the individual ions and molecules involved:
1. Reactants: [tex]\( H^+ \)[/tex], [tex]\( Br^- \)[/tex], [tex]\( K^+ \)[/tex], [tex]\( OH^- \)[/tex]
2. Products: [tex]\( K^+ \)[/tex], [tex]\( Br^- \)[/tex], [tex]\( H_2O \)[/tex]

### Step-by-Step Solution

1. Identify the reactants and products:
- On the reactant side: [tex]\( H^+ \)[/tex], [tex]\( Br^- \)[/tex], [tex]\( K^+ \)[/tex], [tex]\( OH^- \)[/tex]
- On the product side: [tex]\( K^+ \)[/tex], [tex]\( Br^- \)[/tex], [tex]\( H_2O \)[/tex]

2. Identify what changes and what remains the same:
- [tex]\( H^+ \)[/tex] (Hydrogen ion) and [tex]\( OH^- \)[/tex] (Hydroxide ion) react to form water [tex]\( H_2O \)[/tex].
- The ions [tex]\( K^+ \)[/tex] (Potassium ion) and [tex]\( Br^- \)[/tex] (Bromide ion) remain unchanged on both sides of the equation.

3. Determine the spectator ions:
- Spectator ions are those that do not participate in the chemical reaction and remain in the ionic form both before and after the reaction.

4. Conclusion:
- The ions [tex]\( K^+ \)[/tex] and [tex]\( Br^- \)[/tex] do not participate in the formation of [tex]\( H_2O \)[/tex] and remain unchanged.

Thus, the spectator ions in the reaction are [tex]\( K^+ \)[/tex] and [tex]\( Br^- \)[/tex].

So, the answer is:
[tex]\[ \text{K}^{+} \text{and} \text{ Br}^{-} \][/tex]

This means that [tex]\( K^{+} \)[/tex] and [tex]\( Br^{-} \)[/tex] are the ions that do not change during the course of the reaction and are therefore the spectator ions.

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