when a chemical reaction takes place, the number of atoms of each element in the reactants (blank) the number of atoms of each element in the products
equals; i.e., the number of atoms of an element on one side is the same as the number of atoms of an element on the other side.
When a chemical reaction takes place, the number of atoms of each element in the reactants is equal to the number of atoms of each element in the products. This principle is known as the Law of Conservation of Mass. According to this law, matter cannot be created or destroyed during a chemical reaction, only rearranged. As a result, the total number of atoms of each element must remain the same before and after the reaction.
When a chemical reaction takes place, the number of atoms of each element in the reactants is equal to the number of atoms of each element in the products. This statement is known as the law of conservation of mass.
To determine the number of atoms of each element in a chemical reaction, you can follow these steps:
1. Start by writing a balanced chemical equation for the reaction, with the reactants on the left side and the products on the right side.
2. Identify all the elements that are present in the reaction. These are usually represented by their chemical symbols (e.g., H for hydrogen, O for oxygen).
3. Count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation and compare them.
For example, let's consider the reaction of hydrogen gas (H2) reacting with oxygen gas (O2) to form water (H2O):
H2 + O2 → H2O
In this reaction, we have two hydrogen atoms on the left side (2H) and two hydrogen atoms on the right side (2H). Similarly, we have two oxygen atoms on the left side (2O) and two oxygen atoms on the right side (2O). As a result, the number of atoms of each element is conserved during the reaction.