Question

look at the following table. imagine that trisha determined the mass of the reactants before a chemical reaction. then she determined the mass of the products after the chemical reaction in a closed system. her results are in the following table. sulfuric acid + sodium hydroxide → water + sodium sulfate substance | mass sulfuric acid | 49 g sodium hydroxide | 40 g water | 18 g sodium sulfate |? according to the principle of the conservation of mass, the mass of the sodium sulfate was the following: 71 g 89 g 97 g 107 g

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the Law of Conservation of Mass

The law states that the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products. For the reaction: Sulfuric acid (\(H_2SO_4\)) + Sodium hydroxide (\(NaOH\)) → Water (\(H_2O\)) + Sodium sulfate (\(Na_2SO_4\)), the masses of reactants are \(m_{H_2SO_4} = 49\space g\) and \(m_{NaOH} = 40\space g\). The mass of one product (water) is \(m_{H_2O} = 18\space g\), and we need to find the mass of sodium sulfate (\(m_{Na_2SO_4}\)).

Step2: Apply the Conservation of Mass Formula

Let \(m_{reactants} = m_{H_2SO_4} + m_{NaOH}\) and \(m_{products} = m_{H_2O} + m_{Na_2SO_4}\). By conservation of mass, \(m_{reactants} = m_{products}\). So, \(49 + 40 = 18 + m_{Na_2SO_4}\).

Step3: Solve for \(m_{Na_2SO_4}\)

Calculate the left - hand side: \(49 + 40=89\space g\). Then, \(89 = 18 + m_{Na_2SO_4}\). Subtract 18 from both sides: \(m_{Na_2SO_4}=89 - 18 = 71\space g\).

Answer:

71 g (corresponding to the option with 71g, likely the first option among the given choices for the mass of sodium sulfate)