Final answer:
Mass is conserved in the chemical reaction of a burning candle as per the Law of Conservation of Mass which states that mass is neither created nor destroyed. If the mass of all reactants and products were measured, they would be equal, affirming mass conservation in the reaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
We know that mass is conserved in the chemical reaction that occurs during the burning of a candle because the Law of Conservation of Mass stipulates that mass is neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions. In an experiment with a burning candle, the total mass of wax and oxygen that react to produce carbon dioxide, water vapor, and heat energy will be equal to the mass of the substances produced.
If you could capture and measure the mass of all these products, including gases released into the atmosphere, and compare it to the mass of the original reactants, you would find that they are equal. This concept is pivotal not only for understanding reactions like that of a burning candle but also for the balancing of chemical equations, which requires that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation, thus ensuring mass conservation.