Answer
The net ionic equation includes only the species that are actually involved in the reaction , so it describes clearly the actual chemical process that occurs.
Work Step by Step
For example, the ionic reaction of sodium chloride with silver nitrate is:
Na⁺(aq)+Cl⁻(aq) +Ag⁺(aq)+NO₃⁻(aq) → AgCl(s)+Na⁺(aq)+NO₃⁻ (aq)
if we eliminate the spectator ions Na⁺(aq) and NO₃⁻ (aq), we get the net ionic reaction that clearly describes the precipitation reaction of silver ions by chloride ions:
Ag⁺(aq) + Cl⁻(aq) → AgCl (s)
