When magnesium hydroxide reacts with nitric acid it produces magnesium nitrate and water explain how this reaction demonstrates that matter is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction
The reaction of magnesium hydroxide with nitric acid can be represented by the following balanced chemical equation:
Mg(OH)2 + 2HNO3 → Mg(NO3)2 + 2H2O
According to this equation, one molecule of magnesium hydroxide reacts with two molecules of nitric acid to produce one molecule of magnesium nitrate and two molecules of water.
The law of conservation of mass states that matter is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. This means that the total mass of the reactants before the reaction is equal to the total mass of the products after the reaction.
In the reaction between magnesium hydroxide and nitric acid, the total mass of the reactants (magnesium hydroxide and nitric acid) is equal to the total mass of the products (magnesium nitrate and water).
For example, let's consider a hypothetical scenario where 4 grams of magnesium hydroxide and 8 grams of nitric acid are reacted. The total mass of the reactants is 12 grams. After the reaction, magnesium nitrate and water are formed. The total mass of the products is also 12 grams.
This demonstrates that matter is conserved in the reaction. The atoms present in the reactants are rearranged to form new compounds, but their total mass remains the same.