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?(1 point) Responses 15 15 10 10 20 20 30
The law of conservation of matter states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction, only rearranged. In this reaction, 10 atoms of carbon and 20 atoms of oxygen react to form 10 molecules of carbon dioxide.
Since each molecule of carbon dioxide contains one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms, there are a total of 10 carbon atoms and 20 oxygen atoms in the carbon dioxide molecules.
Therefore, the total number of atoms present in this reaction is 10 + 20 = 30 atoms.
The correct answer is 30.