Final answer:
Mass is neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions due to the Law of Conservation of Mass, which ensures the mass and number of atoms are conserved even when substances change form.
Step-by-step explanation:
In response to the question of whether mass is created or destroyed by chemical reactions, the Law of Conservation of Mass clearly states that mass is neither created nor destroyed. During chemical reactions, the atoms are simply rearranged to form new substances, meaning the total mass of the reactants is equal to the total mass of the products. The concept of conservation of mass is fundamental in chemistry and ensures that during reactions, the number of atoms for each element is conserved and the mass remains constant, even though the matter may change forms, such as from a solid to a liquid or gas.
The law was established by Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, in 1789. It is a foundational principle that governs all chemical reactions and is observed universally. Thus, when a student experiments with a chemical reaction, they should find the mass before and after the reaction to be the same, confirming this law.