this is a chemical reaction for the decomposition of carbonic acid into water and carbon dioxide.
h₂co₃ → h₂o + co₂
how does the reaction support the law of conservation of mass?
a several molecules of water are produced.
b the mass of carbon atoms is reduced during the reaction.
c the mass of the atoms in the reactant equals the mass of the atoms in the products.
d the mass of hydrogen atoms is the only thing that remains the same before and after the reaction.

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# Brief Explanations:
The Law of Conservation of Mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. In the reaction $H_2CO_3
ightarrow H_2O + CO_2$, we need to check the number of each type of atom on both sides.
- For hydrogen ($H$): There are $2$ $H$ atoms in $H_2CO_3$ (reactant) and $2$ $H$ atoms in $H_2O$ (product).
- For carbon ($C$): There is $1$ $C$ atom in $H_2CO_3$ and $1$ $C$ atom in $CO_2$.
- For oxygen ($O$): There are $3$ $O$ atoms in $H_2CO_3$ ($2$ from $H_2CO_3$’s non - $H$ and non - $C$ part and $1$ from $CO_3$ structure), and in the products, $H_2O$ has $1$ $O$ atom and $CO_2$ has $2$ $O$ atoms ($1 + 2=3$).

Option A: The number of water molecules produced is not relevant to the Law of Conservation of Mass. The law is about mass (related to atom counts), not molecule counts.
Option B: The mass of carbon atoms is not reduced. There is $1$ $C$ atom on both sides of the reaction.
Option D: It's not just hydrogen atoms. All types of atoms ($H$, $C$, and $O$) have their masses (based on atom counts) conserved.

Option C: Since the mass of atoms (determined by the number of each type of atom, as mass of an atom of a particular element is constant) in the reactant ($H_2CO_3$) equals the mass of atoms in the products ($H_2O$ and $CO_2$), this reaction supports the Law of Conservation of Mass.

# Answer:
C. The mass of the atoms in the reactant equals the mass of the atoms in the products.

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