How does a balance chemical equation demonstrate the law of conservation of mass
A balanced chemical equation demonstrates the law of conservation of mass by ensuring that the total mass of the reactants equals the total mass of the products. According to the law of conservation of mass, mass cannot be created or destroyed during a chemical reaction, it is only rearranged.
In a balanced chemical equation, the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation must be the same. This means that the total number of each type of atom remains constant throughout the reaction.
By balancing the equation, the coefficients (numbers placed in front of the compounds or elements) are adjusted to ensure that the number of atoms for each element is equal on both sides of the equation. This indicates that the mass of the reactants is equal to the mass of the products.
For example, consider the balanced equation for the reaction between hydrogen gas (H2) and oxygen gas (O2) to form water (H2O):
2H2 + O2 → 2H2O
In this equation, there are four hydrogen atoms on both sides of the equation (2H2 on the left and 2H2O on the right) and two oxygen atoms on both sides (1O2 on the left and 2H2O on the right). The law of conservation of mass is demonstrated because the mass of the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in the reactants is equal to the mass of the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in the products.