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As stated in the text, convincing examples that demonstrate the law of conservation of matter outside of the laboratory are few and far between. Indicate whether the mass would increase, decrease, or stay the same for the following scenarios where chemical reactions take place: (a) Exactly one pound of bread dough is placed in a baking tin. The dough is cooked in an oven at releasing a wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread during the cooking process. Is the mass of the baked loaf less than, greater than, or the same as the one pound of original dough? Explain. (b) When magnesium burns in air a white flaky ash of magnesium oxide is produced. Is the mass of magnesium oxide less than, greater than, or the same as the original piece of magnesium? Explain. (c) Antoine Lavoisier, the French scientist credited with first stating the law of conservation of matter, heated a mixture of tin and air in a sealed flask to produce tin oxide. Did the mass of the sealed flask and contents decrease, increase, or remain the same after the heating?
Solution
Verified(a)
Mass is neither created nor destroyed - the law of conservation of mass
But on heating, bread dough can lose moisture and also water molecules boil off so we can conclude that mass of the baked loaf is less than the one pound of original dough
(b)
The reaction of magnesium which is burnt in air and produces magnesium oxide:
It is obviously that magnesium oxide has greater mass than magnesium because it contains of one magnesium atom and one oxygen atom so the answer is that the mass increases
(c)
The reaction between tin and oxygen:
- tin oxide
It is obviously that tin oxide has greater mass than tin because it contains of one tin atom and two oxygen atoms so the answer is that the mass increases
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