Question
A student combines two liquids in a beaker. She observes that the mass of the combined liquid is less than the mass of the two separate liquids. The student claims that this observation shows that matter is not conserved in chemical reactions. Which statement explains why the student’s claim is incorrect?(1 point)
Responses
A. The reaction did not change the physical properties of the liquids.
B. The product contained fewer atoms than the reactants.
C. The combined liquid was warmer than the two separate liquids.
D. The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.
B. The product contained fewer atoms than the reactants.
Explanation: The conservation of matter states that in a chemical reaction, matter is neither created nor destroyed. Therefore, the total mass of the reactants should be equal to the total mass of the products. If the mass of the combined liquid is less than the mass of the two separate liquids, it could be due to a loss of gas or evaporation during the reaction, but the total number of atoms should remain the same.