Question

An unbalanced chemical equation:a. does not obey Conservation of Mass law b.does obey Conservation of Mass law c.has equal numbers of atoms of each element in both reactants and productsd.none of the above

Answer 1

a. Does not obey Conservation of Mass law

Step-by-step explanation:

An example of an unbalanced chemical equation is:

• H₂SO₄ + NaOH → Na₂SO₄ + H₂O

As you can see, there are two Na atoms on the right side of the equation, while only one on the left side, causing the masses on both sides of the equation to not be equal. In other words, not fulfilling the Conservation of Mass law.

Compare with the correctly balanced equation:

• H₂SO₄ + 2NaOH → Na₂SO₄ + 2H₂O

Now both sides of the equation possess the same number of atoms for each element.