Based on the Law of Conservation of Matter, describe the relationship between the mass of the reactants and the mass of the products.
According to the Law of Conservation of Matter, matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction. This means that the total mass of the reactants before a chemical reaction is equal to the total mass of the products after the reaction.
In other words, during a chemical reaction, the mass of the substances involved remains constant. This principle can be explained using the concept of atoms. Atoms, which are the building blocks of matter, are rearranged during a chemical reaction, but none of them are created or destroyed.
To determine the relationship between the mass of the reactants and the mass of the products, you would first need to write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction. A balanced equation shows the ratio of the reactants and products involved in the reaction.
For example, consider the reaction between hydrogen gas (H₂) and oxygen gas (O₂) to form water (H₂O). The balanced equation for this reaction is:
2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O
This equation indicates that 2 moles of hydrogen gas react with 1 mole of oxygen gas to form 2 moles of water. To calculate the mass relationship, you would need to know the molar masses of the substances involved.
The molar mass describes the mass of one mole of a substance and is expressed in grams per mole. The molar mass of hydrogen gas is approximately 2 grams per mole, and the molar mass of oxygen gas is approximately 32 grams per mole. The molar mass of water is approximately 18 grams per mole.
Using these molar masses, we can determine the mass relationship between the reactants and products. In this example, 2 moles of hydrogen gas (or 4 grams) react with 1 mole of oxygen gas (or 32 grams) to produce 2 moles of water (or 36 grams). Thus, the total mass of the reactants (36 grams) is equal to the total mass of the products (36 grams).
In conclusion, the Law of Conservation of Matter states that the mass of the reactants in a chemical reaction is equal to the mass of the products. This can be determined by balancing the chemical equation and calculating the mass relationships using the molar masses of the substances involved.