Question

Leandra wants to draw a model of a chemical reaction. She draws an arrow on a piece of paper. On one side of the arrow, she draws a large orange circle by itself, a plus sign, and two small white circles attached to each other. In order to be accurate, what must be true of Leandra’s model of a chemical reaction?

A. All materials that make up the reactants must also be shown in the products. B. The reactants must have more mass than the products.
C. The reaction must demonstrate a loss of energy.
D. The reaction must be reversible.

Answer 1

The correct answer is option A. All materials that make up the reactants must also be shown in the products.

Step-by-step explanation:

For Leandra's model of a chemical reaction to be accurate, the most essential principle she needs to adhere to is the Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that in a chemical reaction, matter is neither created nor destroyed. In practical terms, this means that the number of atoms of each element must be the same in both the reactants and the products. Leandra's model shows an orange circle (possibly representing a single atom or molecule) and two white circles attached to each other (probably representing a molecule made up of two atoms) as reactants.

To meet the criterion of an accurate chemical reaction model, option A should be true: All materials that make up the reactants must also be shown in the products. This is because the same atoms present in the reactants must reappear in the products, potentially in a different arrangement to represent the new molecules formed.