Suppose 10 atoms of carbon(C) react with 20 atoms of oxygen (O) to form 10 molecules of carbon dioxide (CO2). According to the law of conservation of matter, how many atoms are present in this reaction?
The law of conservation of matter states that atoms cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction, only rearranged.
In this reaction, 10 atoms of carbon (C) and 20 atoms of oxygen (O) react to form 10 molecules of carbon dioxide (CO2).
In each molecule of carbon dioxide, there is 1 atom of carbon and 2 atoms of oxygen. So, 10 molecules of carbon dioxide contain 10 atoms of carbon and 20 atoms of oxygen.
Therefore, there are a total of 30 atoms present in this reaction (10 carbon atoms + 20 oxygen atoms).