What happens to energy and matter during a chemical reaction?

During a chemical reaction, energy and matter undergo transformations. The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or converted from one form to another. This applies to chemical reactions as well.

Energy is usually involved in chemical reactions in the form of heat. It can be released from or absorbed by the reactants and products. If a chemical reaction releases more energy than it absorbs, it is considered exothermic. On the other hand, if a reaction absorbs more energy than it releases, it is considered endothermic.

Matter, on the other hand, goes through rearrangement but is not created or destroyed during a chemical reaction. The atoms in the reactants rearrange to form new compounds or molecules in the products. This preservation of matter is known as the law of conservation of mass, which asserts that the total mass of the reactants must be equal to the total mass of the products.

To understand what happens to energy and matter during a specific chemical reaction, you need to consider the balanced chemical equation for that reaction. It will give you the stoichiometry, indicating the ratio of reactants and products, and any energy changes associated with the reaction.