A vial containing water, its lid, and an Alka-Seltzer tablet are placed on the pan of a balance. The reading on the balance is 12.8 g. The tablet is dropping into the water and the vial immediately sealed. The tablet becomes smaller and eventually disappears, and bubbles smaller and eventually disappears, and bubbles form. Will the reading on the balance be less than, equal to, or greater than 123.8 g? Why?

i honestlyy sayy it don't rightt? it stays the same but that's myy guess. anyone can help me?

The problem has a problem, or it may be a typo, but did you mean the initial reading was 123.8 g? I assume the initial reading should be 123.8 g. With no place for the products to go, they must stay in the sealed vial; therefore, the balance will read the same, 123.8 grams.

thank you

i need help in chem too. something similar

Then post your question as a new post. Click at the top of the page on Post a New Question.

To determine the answer, let's break down the process step by step:

1. Initially, the vial contains water, its lid, and the Alka-Seltzer tablet. The reading on the balance is 12.8 g.

2. When the Alka-Seltzer tablet is dropped into the water, it starts to dissolve. This chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide gas in the form of bubbles.

3. As the tablet dissolves, the gas bubbles rise to the surface, and eventually, all of the tablet dissolves, leaving only water and gas in the vial.

Now, let's consider the mass changes:

- The tablet is originally dry and solid, so it has a positive mass.
- As the tablet dissolves, its mass decreases due to the chemical reaction.
- On the other hand, the formation of gas bubbles adds mass to the system.

When the tablet dissolves, the chemical reaction doesn't create nor destroy mass; it only changes the distribution of substances. Therefore, the total mass inside the sealed vial remains the same.

Hence, the reading on the balance will remain equal to the initial reading of 12.8 g.