State the law of conservation of mass. Then apply the law to this question: What would be the total mass of the products of a reaction in which 25 grams of table salt (Sodium chloride) decomposes into the elements sodium and chlorine?
What is your thinking on this?
I dunno, that’s why I’m asking, I have no clue where to start
I would google" Law of conservation of mass", if I were researching this. That is a clue.
I answered this exact question from another post yesterday. Look below and follow Bob P's advice.
The law of conservation of mass states that in any chemical reaction, the total mass of the reactants is equal to the total mass of the products. This means that mass is neither created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction, but is only transformed from one form to another.
To apply the law of conservation of mass to the given question, we can start by writing a balanced chemical equation for the decomposition of table salt (sodium chloride) into sodium and chlorine:
2NaCl --> 2Na + Cl2
The balanced equation shows that two moles of sodium chloride decompose to form two moles of sodium and one mole of chlorine gas.
To determine the mass of the products, we need to know the molar masses of sodium chloride, sodium, and chlorine. The molar mass of sodium chloride (NaCl) is given as 58.44 grams/mol, sodium (Na) has a molar mass of 22.99 grams/mol, and chlorine (Cl2) has a molar mass of 70.91 grams/mol.
Now, let's calculate:
Given: Mass of sodium chloride = 25 grams
To find the total mass of the products, we need to calculate the molar mass of sodium chloride and then use stoichiometry to determine the mass of the products.
1. Calculate the moles of sodium chloride:
Moles of NaCl = Mass of NaCl / Molar mass of NaCl
= 25 grams / 58.44 grams/mol
= 0.428 moles
2. Use the stoichiometry of the balanced equation to determine the moles of sodium and chlorine produced:
From the stoichiometry, we see that 2 moles of NaCl produce 2 moles of Na and 1 mole of Cl2.
Moles of Na = 2 moles of NaCl x (2 moles of Na / 2 moles of NaCl)
= 2 moles
Moles of Cl2 = 2 moles of NaCl x (1 mole of Cl2 / 2 moles of NaCl)
= 1 mole
3. Calculate the mass of the products:
Mass of Na = Moles of Na x Molar mass of Na
= 2 moles x 22.99 grams/mol
= 45.98 grams
Mass of Cl2 = Moles of Cl2 x Molar mass of Cl2
= 1 mole x 70.91 grams/mol
= 70.91 grams
Therefore, the total mass of the products (sodium and chlorine) in the given reaction is 45.98 grams of sodium and 70.91 grams of chlorine, which corresponds to the mass of the original sodium chloride. This outcome is consistent with the law of conservation of mass, which states that the total mass of the reactants is equal to the total mass of the products.