During an investigation a scientist heated 2.76 g of silver carbonate till it decomposed to leave a silver residue. The total mass of the silver residue formed was 2.16 g. Does the law of conservation of mass hold true in this case? Use complete sentences to justify your answer based on numerical calculations.
To determine if the law of conservation of mass holds true in this case, we can compare the initial mass of silver carbonate to the total mass of the silver residue formed.
The initial mass of the silver carbonate is 2.76 g.
The total mass of the silver residue formed is 2.16 g.
If the law of conservation of mass holds true, the mass of the reactants (silver carbonate) should be equal to the mass of the products (silver residue). However, in this case, the mass of the silver residue is less than the initial mass of the silver carbonate.
Therefore, based on the numerical calculations, the law of conservation of mass does not hold true in this case. There is a loss of mass during the decomposition of silver carbonate, indicating that a substance(s) may have been lost during the reaction.
To determine if the law of conservation of mass holds true in this case, we need to compare the initial mass of the silver carbonate with the total mass of the silver residue formed.
The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction; it is only rearranged. In other words, the total mass of the reactants should be equal to the total mass of the products.
First, we need to calculate the mass of silver carbonate (Ag2CO3) before decomposition. Given that 2.76 g of silver carbonate was heated, this is the initial mass.
Next, we need to calculate the mass of silver (Ag) in the silver residue. Given that the total mass of the silver residue formed was 2.16 g, this is the final mass.
Since silver carbonate decomposed into silver (Ag) and carbon dioxide (CO2), we can subtract the mass of carbon dioxide produced from the initial mass of silver carbonate to find the mass of silver.
The molar mass of silver carbonate (Ag2CO3) is calculated as follows:
2(107.87 g/mol) + 12.01 g/mol + 3(16.00 g/mol) = 275.36 g/mol
Now, let's calculate the mass of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced. The molar mass of carbon dioxide is 44.01 g/mol.
Given that the total mass of the silver residue formed was 2.16 g, we can subtract the mass of carbon dioxide from this value to find the mass of silver:
2.16 g - (44.01 g/mol * (2.76 g / 275.36 g/mol)) = 2.13 g
Now we can compare the initial mass of silver carbonate (2.76 g) with the mass of silver in the silver residue (2.13 g).
Since the mass of silver in the silver residue (2.13 g) is slightly less than the initial mass of silver carbonate (2.76 g), we can conclude that the law of conservation of mass does not hold true in this case. There is a slight mass loss, which could be due to experimental errors such as loss of material during the reaction or incomplete decomposition of the silver carbonate.
To determine if the law of conservation of mass holds true in this case, we need to compare the mass before and after the reaction.
Given:
Mass of silver carbonate (before reaction) = 2.76 g
Mass of silver residue (after reaction) = 2.16 g
To calculate the mass of carbon dioxide released during the decomposition of silver carbonate, we can subtract the mass of silver residue from the mass of silver carbonate:
Mass of carbon dioxide released = Mass of silver carbonate - Mass of silver residue
= 2.76 g - 2.16 g
= 0.60 g
Now, let's calculate the total mass.
Total mass before reaction = Mass of silver carbonate
= 2.76 g
Total mass after reaction = Mass of silver residue + Mass of carbon dioxide released
= 2.16 g + 0.60 g
= 2.76 g
As we can see, the total mass before the reaction is equal to the total mass after the reaction. Therefore, the law of conservation of mass holds true in this case. The mass in a chemical reaction is always conserved, which means that the total mass of the reactants will always be equal to the total mass of the products.