Final answer:
To verify conservation of mass in an experiment, measure the mass of all reactants and products ensuring the reaction occurs in a closed system. If the total mass remains unchanged, this confirms that the law of conservation of mass is obeyed.
Step-by-step explanation:
To check the conservation of mass in an actual experiment, you must measure the mass of all reactants before the reaction and the mass of all products after the reaction. For example, if you start with 10 grams of reactant A and 15 grams of reactant B, your total starting mass is 25 grams. After the reaction, if you have 20 grams of product C and 5 grams of product D, your total product mass is also 25 grams, demonstrating conservation of mass.
A practical way to verify this conservation in an experiment is to perform the reaction in a closed system, such as a sealed container that prevents mass from entering or exiting. If the measured mass of the closed system remains constant before and after the reaction, it confirms that mass was neither created nor destroyed during the process. This is in accordance with the law of conservation of mass, which is a fundamental principle in chemistry stating that mass is conserved in a chemical reaction.