Question

A 3.43 g silicon dioxide sample reacted with 2.17 g of solid carbon in a completely closed system. The products of the reaction were silicon carbide and carbon monoxide gas. According to the law of conservation of mass, what is the combined mass of silicon carbide and carbon monoxide gas that should be formed?

Answer 1

The combined mass of silicon carbide and carbon monoxide formed in the reaction would be 5.60 g, which is the sum of the masses of the reactants, in accordance with the law of conservation of mass.

Step-by-step explanation:

The law of conservation of mass states that in a chemical reaction, the mass of the reactants must equal the mass of the products. In the scenario provided, the reaction between silicon dioxide (SiO2) and solid carbon (C) produces silicon carbide and carbon monoxide gas.

According to the law, if we add the mass of the reactants together, we get:

Mass of SiO2 + Mass of C = 3.43 g + 2.17 g = 5.60 g.

Thus, the combined mass of silicon carbide and carbon monoxide that should be formed will also be 5.60 g. This demonstrates the law of conservation of mass as the total mass of the products is equal to the total mass of the reactants.