BALANCE IONIC EQUATIONS
STEP BY STEP GUIDE( written
and prepared by Liberate
Nedziwe, a tutor)
When balancing ionic equations, it is very important to know
the ionic symbols of each element or radical ion as shown by
the table below:
, Element Ionic symbol
K (Potassium) K+
Na (Sodium) Na+
Mg (Magnesium) Mg2+
Ca(Calcium) Ca2+
O (Oxygen) O2-
S04 (Sulphate ion) S042-
Br (Bromine) Br-
Ba (Barium) Ba2+
I (Iodine) I-
NO3( nItrate ion) NO3-
NO2 (Nitrite ion) NO2-
PO4 (Phosphate ion) PO42-
OH (Hydroxide ion) OH-
SO3 (Sulphite ion) SO32-