A student claims that the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to form
hydrogen peroxide is evidence supporting the claim that mass is conserved in a chemical reaction. The chemical equation the student uses for the reaction is H2 + O2 --> H2O2. Does this evidence support the claim? Why or why not?*
Yes, it supports the claim because all the elements in the reactants appear in the product.
No, it does not support the claim because it is not a closed system.
Yes, it supports the claim because the reaction equation is balanced.
No, it does not support the claim because the reaction equation is not balanced.
It COULD support the claim IF numbers were listed to show starting materials vs end product AND IF it were a closed system. However, that information is not given in the problem; e.g., nothing in the problem about a closed system or not a closed system.
To determine if the evidence supports the claim that mass is conserved in a chemical reaction, we need to consider two factors: conservation of mass and the balanced equation.
Conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. In other words, the total mass of the reactants must equal the total mass of the products.
The equation provided for the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to form hydrogen peroxide is: H2 + O2 --> H2O2.
To check if the equation is balanced, we need to make sure that there is an equal number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation. Let's count the atoms for each element:
Reactants:
- Hydrogen (H): 2 atoms
- Oxygen (O): 2 atoms
Product:
- Hydrogen (H): 2 atoms
- Oxygen (O): 2 atoms
As we can see, the equation is balanced since the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides.
Now, let's consider the claim that mass is conserved. In this reaction, all the elements in the reactants (hydrogen and oxygen) appear in the product (hydrogen peroxide). Therefore, the mass is indeed conserved.
Hence, the evidence does support the claim that mass is conserved in this chemical reaction because the reaction equation is balanced, and all the elements in the reactants appear in the product. Therefore, the correct answer is: Yes, it supports the claim because the reaction equation is balanced.