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)
Responses
A. The reaction did not change the physical properties of the liquids.
B. The combined liquid was warmer than the two separate liquids.
C. The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.
D. The product contained fewer atoms than the reactants.
C. The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.
Explanation: The decrease in mass observed by the student can be explained by the fact that a gas was produced during the reaction and it escaped the beaker. This means that matter was not lost, but rather converted into a different state (gas) that was not contained in the beaker. This does not violate the law of conservation of mass.