Question

In an experiment, a scientist placed two chemicals in a sealed container as

seen in the picture below. Before mixing the two reactants, she determine
the total mass of the flask and its contents. After determining the total
mass, she mixed the two chemicals to allow the chemical reaction to
occur. She then placed the flask and its contents back on the balance as
seen below. Which represents the BEST prediction to the second scale
reading after the reaction?

Answer 1

The second scale reading after the reaction will be the same as the initial reading due to the law of conservation of mass.

Step-by-step explanation:

The best prediction for the second scale reading after the reaction is that it will be the same as the initial reading. According to the law of conservation of mass, mass is neither created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction.

Therefore, the total mass of the reactants should be equal to the total mass of the products. In this case, since the two chemicals are mixed in a sealed container, there will be no mass loss or gain, resulting in the second scale reading being the same as the initial reading.