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Chemical Reactions

Conservation of mass, and changes of mass in open systems

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 9 (Chemistry)

Overview

The law of conservation of mass and what it means for atoms, reacting-mass calculations in sealed containers, why a balance reading falls when a carbonate gives off gas and rises when magnesium burns or a nail rusts, showing that mass is conserved, and using y = mx + c and the gradient of a magnesium oxide mass graph, including a line that misses the origin.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

State the law of conservation of mass.

Key term

Why does a reaction carried out in a closed container show no change in the balance reading even when a gas is made?

Key term

Why can the mass of a product never be greater than the total mass of the reactants that were used?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    State the law of conservation of mass.

    Model answer

    Mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction, so the total mass of the products equals the total mass of the reactants.

  2. 2

    Explain conservation of mass in terms of atoms.

    Model answer

    The same atoms are present at the end of the reaction as at the start; they have only been rearranged into different substances.

  3. 3

    In a sealed container, 24 g of magnesium reacts completely with 16 g of oxygen. What mass of magnesium oxide is formed?

    Model answer

    40 g.

  4. 4

    A sealed flask holding 10.0 g of calcium carbonate is heated until 5.6 g of calcium oxide remains. What mass of carbon dioxide was produced?

    Model answer

    4.4 g.

  5. 5

    12 g of carbon burns completely in 32 g of oxygen. Calculate the mass of carbon dioxide formed.

    Model answer

    44 g.

  6. 6

    Why does a reaction carried out in a closed container show no change in the balance reading even when a gas is made?

    Model answer

    The gas cannot escape, so it is still inside the container and is still being weighed.

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