Competency #7
Predict the products for simple chemical reactions
Learning Objective e
- e. Explain conservation of mass in various chemical reactions.
Question
Write down your answer to the following question:
When you combine Na (s) with water, a violent reaction occurs. The reaction is written as
Na (s) + H2O (l)
NaOH (aq) + H2(g)
If you were to run this reaction on a balance, you would notice that as the reaction occurs, the mass falls. Why is this not a violation of the conservation of mass?
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