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Chemistry: Challenges and Solutions

Precipitation (animation)

Potassium iodide and lead nitrate are compounds that separate into negatively and positively charged ions when they dissolve in water. Once dissolved, these ions recombine in a double displacement reaction: the lead and iodide ions combine to make lead iodide which precipitates out of solution as a solid. The potassium and nitrate ions remain behind in the solution.

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Chemistry: Challenges and Solutions

Credits

Produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. 2014.
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