Question

Philip measured the mass of his three solutions after the chemical reactions were complete. He noticed that the final masses were not equal to the initial masses of each of the three solutions. Which of the following is true about Philip’s experiment?

A. The final mass is higher than the initial mass; matter was created during the reaction.
B. The final mass is lower than the initial mass; matter was destroyed due to the higher temperature of the vinegar.
C. The final mass is lower than the initial mass; matter moved from the beaker to the surrounding area as a gas.
D. The final mass is higher than the initial mass; matter moved from the the surrounding area to the beaker.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C. The final mass is lower than the initial mass; matter moved from the beaker to the surrounding area as a gas.

Step-by-step explanation:

This is in accordance with the law of conservation of mass, which states that mass cannot be created or destroyed during a chemical reaction, but is always conserved. In this case, the mass of the reactants (the initial solutions) is equal to the mass of the products (the final solutions) after the chemical reaction.

When matter moves from the beaker to the surrounding area as a gas, the mass of the beaker and the surrounding area remain the same, but the mass inside the beaker decreases, resulting in a lower final mass.