Final answer:
The chemical equation H2 + O2 → 2H2O is unbalanced and violates the law of conservation of matter because it has more oxygen atoms on the reactant side than on the product side, which can be rectified by ensuring the same number of each kind of atom on both sides of the equation.
Step-by-step explanation:
To construct a statement that correctly supports the argument that the chemical equation H2 + O2 → 2H2O violates the law of conservation of matter, one should note the number of atoms on each side of the equation. In this case, 'There are more O atoms on the reactant side of the arrow than on the product side,' which indicates that the equation is unbalanced and violates the law.
Upon counting, we can confirm that there are two Hydrogen (H) atoms and two Oxygen (O) atoms on the reactant side, but only one oxygen atom in the product for each water molecule (H2O). This means we only account for one oxygen atom with the current coefficient of 2 in front of H2O, leading to a total of two oxygen atoms. This creates a discrepancy because there are two oxygen atoms needed on the product side to balance the equation.
By revising the chemical equation to 2H2(g) + O2(g) → 2H2O(l), we reach a balanced state where there are four Hydrogen atoms on each side and two Oxygen atoms on each side, thus respecting the law of conservation of matter.