Let's analyze the given chemical equation step by step:
[tex]\[
Na ^{+} + Cl ^{-} \rightarrow NaCl
\][/tex]
1. Identifying the reactants and products:
- The reactants are the sodium ion ([tex]\(Na^{+}\)[/tex]) and the chloride ion ([tex]\(Cl^{-}\)[/tex]).
- The product is sodium chloride ([tex]\(NaCl\)[/tex]).
2. Understanding the formation of the product:
- Sodium ion ([tex]\(Na^{+}\)[/tex]) and chloride ion ([tex]\(Cl^{-}\)[/tex]) combine in a 1:1 ratio to form one formula unit of sodium chloride ([tex]\(NaCl\)[/tex]).
3. Balancing the equation:
- Since one sodium ion combines with one chloride ion to form one formula unit of sodium chloride, the equation is already balanced with a 1:1:1 ratio of [tex]\(Na^{+}\)[/tex], [tex]\(Cl^{-}\)[/tex], and [tex]\(NaCl\)[/tex].
4. Analyzing the relationship:
- The number of sodium ions ([tex]\(Na^{+}\)[/tex]) is equal to the number of chloride ions ([tex]\(Cl^{-}\)[/tex]).
- Each pair of sodium ion and chloride ion forms exactly one formula unit of sodium chloride ([tex]\(NaCl\)[/tex]).
Thus, the number of sodium ions is exactly equal to the number of formula units of salt (which is [tex]\(NaCl\)[/tex]) formed. This is the only statement that accurately captures the relationship described by the chemical equation.
Therefore, the best statement that describes the relationship between the substances in the equation is:
The number of sodium ions is equal to the number of formula units of salt.
The final answer is:
The number of sodium ions is equal to the number of formula units of salt.
