A student combines two liquids in a beaker. She observes that the mass of the combined liquid is less than the mass of the two separate liquids. The student claims that this observation shows that matter is not conserved in chemical reactions. Which statement explains why the student's claim is incorrect?
(1 point)
• The reaction did not change the physical properties of the liquids.
• The combined liquid was warmer than the two separate liquids.
• The product contained fewer atoms than the reactants.
• The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.
The product contained fewer atoms than the reactants.
This statement explains why the student's claim is incorrect. The law of conservation of mass states that matter is neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions, only rearranged. If the mass of the combined liquid is less than the mass of the two separate liquids, it suggests that the reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker, rather than matter not being conserved.