Question

In an equation, what do the symbols ‘aq’ and ‘$ \downarrow $’ signify?

Answer 1

Hint: The symbol “aq'' is related to the solvent or the reaction medium. It is written as a small case and subscript. The symbol “$ \downarrow $” is generally used for the solids that are produced during the reaction.

Complete step by step solution:
In the equation of a chemical reaction, it is necessary for the writer to describe every small detail about the reactants and the products. The small observations that have been made by the observer need to be written neatly in a precise manner in the reaction.
-We need that the equation is short and precise in the information. It should not be too lengthy and descriptive. So, we use some short forms of the words we use to describe certain scenarios. Sometimes, we also use signs as well.
-Same way, here we are being asked to give the explanation of one acronym and one sign as shown in the question.
-The word “aq” is used for an aqueous medium. It suggests that the species given is dissolved in an aqueous medium. Here, they are talking about water as a solvent.
As an example,
\[NaC{l_{(s)}}\xrightarrow{{{H_2}O}}NaC{l_{(aq)}}\]
Here, it shows that as we dissolve solid NaCl in water, NaCl gets dissolved and we obtain aqueous NaCl.
-The sign “$ \downarrow $” is used for the product that gets precipitated in the reaction. So, it is used for the solid product in the reaction that is not soluble in the reaction medium and gets collected at the bottom of the reaction vessel. As an example,
\[N{a_2}S{O_{4(aq)}} + BaC{l_{2(aq)}} \to 2NaC{l_{(aq)}} + BaS{O_{4(s)}} \downarrow \]

Note: Remember that we cannot use the symbol “aq” for the species that are not dissolved in the aqueous medium. Also, here we cannot use the symbol “aq” if the reaction medium is something other than water.