Final answer:
The law of conservation of mass is a fundamental principle in chemistry, ensuring that the mass of the reactants equals the mass of the products in a chemical reaction. The balanced chemical equation for the formation of water from hydrogen and oxygen illustrates this concept, as the number and type of atoms are the same on both sides of the equation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding chemical reactions includes a grasp of the law of conservation of mass. This principle asserts that during a chemical reaction, the mass of the products equals the mass of the reactants, as mass is neither created nor destroyed in the process. When balancing a chemical equation, such as the formation of water from hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2), one must ensure that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation. This reflects the conservation of matter.
The balanced chemical equation for the formation of water is: 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O. This equation shows that we have four hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms as reactants, which recombine to form two molecules of water, each containing two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. By preserving the type and number of atoms, we illustrate the law of conservation of mass. If we were to calculate and compare the total mass of reactants and products in this reaction, we would find them to be equal, demonstrating that mass is conserved during the reaction.