Question

Element Atomic Mass (amu)

hydrogen 1
carbon 12
oxygen 16
CH4 + 2 O2 → CO2 + 2 H2O

The law of conservation of matter states that matter cannot be created nor destroyed. How does the balance equation above demonstrate this law?

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

The balanced equation above follows the law of conservation of matter because the total number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation is the same. In this equation, we start with 1 carbon atom, 4 hydrogen atoms, and 4 oxygen atoms on the left side of the equation. After the reaction occurs, we end up with 1 carbon atom, 4 hydrogen atoms, and 4 oxygen atoms on the right side of the equation. This demonstrates that no matter is created or destroyed in a chemical reaction, it simply changes form.