Final answer:
The law of conservation of mass states that the total mass of the products must be equal to the total mass of the reactants in a chemical reaction. to balance a chemical equation and obey this law, you need to adjust the coefficients of the reactants and products to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides.
Step-by-step explanation:
The law of conservation of mass states that, during a chemical reaction, the total mass of the products must be equal to the total mass of the reactants. In order to balance a chemical equation, you need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation is the same. In the given reaction: C₂H₄ + O₂ → H + CO₂, the equation needs to be balanced as it fails to satisfy the law of conservation of mass. By adjusting the coefficients of the reactants and products, you can balance the equation.
An example of a balanced equation for the reaction mentioned above is: C₂H₄ + 3O₂ → 2H₂O + 2CO₂. In this balanced equation, the number of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms on both sides is the same, thus obeying the law of conservation of mass.