[sufler]

Hello.
I was a little confused to find in my chemistry exercise book a task, where they say Gallium produces [Ga(H₂O)₆]³⁺ ion in reaction with strong acids. From the videos on Youtube I can see people simply get Ga₂(SO₄)₃ and hydrogen in gallium + sulfuric acid reaction, which is a strong acid after all. Well then, could anyone give me an example with full notation of a reaction where the ion is actually produced? How come the water molecules are build into it? Btw, you can look into the aforementioned exercise here http://pl.tinypic.com/r/2nurgqa/8 but that won't be a big help, because the description is in Polish. But you can at least get familiar with the diagram. There's also a part about reactions with bases.

[Borek]

And what does Ga₂(SO₄)₃ dissociate to when dissolved?

[sufler]

I'm not sure, because I'm not very knowledgeable.. but I would say 2 Ga³⁺ and 3 SO₄^2-

#edit
So, you suggest that the ions H₃O⁺ and Ga³⁺ together make the gigantic [Ga(H₂O)₆]³⁺ ?

[Borek]

I would say 2 Ga³⁺

OK.

Have you heard about solvation? Hydration? Do you know that no cation stays alone in water solution?

So, you suggest that the ions H₃O⁺ and Ga³⁺ together make the gigantic [Ga(H₂O)₆]³⁺ ?

Why H₃O⁺? Ga³⁺ has already required charge.

[sufler]

So, you suggest that the ions H₃O⁺ and Ga³⁺ together make the gigantic [Ga(H₂O)₆]³⁺ ?

Why H₃O⁺? Ga³⁺ has already required charge.

But there was H₃O⁺ written over the line in the exercise, so I assumed I have to do something with it.

#edit
So, the ion with 6 molecules of water is the same kind of a compound as for example the hydrate Na2CO3•10H2O ?

[Borek]

Quote from Bielański means just that the reaction is

Ga + H⁺ + H₂O Ga(H₂O)₆³⁺ + H₂

(unbalanced, but that's just a trivial exercise).

It is not exactly the same as in sodium carbonate decahydrate, as the decahydrate is a solid, while we are talking about Ga³⁺(aq). But to some extent these are related things.

[sufler]

So, there is just no way to depict this reaction with a full equation, I mean with particular reagents? It must remain in the ionic form? An example with for example sulfuric acid can't be done?

[Borek]

depict this reaction

Be careful here - which reaction?

[sufler]

Gallium with a strong acid, so that the product was [Ga(H₂O)₆]³⁺. I believe this is what the task is about.

[Borek]

If you want ionic product, for consistency you should write the net ionic reaction. If so, you should not list H₂SO₄ as a reactant, but H⁺.