Question

law of conservation of matter quick check
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 students
claim is incorrect? (1 point)
the combined liquid was warmer than the two separate liquids.
the reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.
the reaction did not change the physical properties of the liquids.
the product contained fewer atoms than the reactants.

Explanation:

According to the law of conservation of matter, matter is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. If the mass of the combined liquid is less than the mass of the two separate liquids, it is likely that a gas was produced as a product of the reaction and escaped from the beaker. The mass of the gas is not accounted for in the measurement of the combined liquid, but it still exists as matter. The temperature of the liquid (being warmer) is not related to the conservation of matter. A chemical reaction typically changes the physical properties of substances. And in a chemical reaction, atoms are just rearranged, not lost, so the number of atoms in the products is the same as in the reactants.

Answer:

The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.