A chemist is studying the byproducts produced during the burning of gasoline. Gasoline burns by reacting with oxygen to produce water vapor and carbon dioxide. The chemist carefully measures the masses of all the substances involved in this reaction. Which observation would lead the chemist to conclude that the law of conservation of matter is obeyed in this reaction?
The mass of gasoline and oxygen is equal to the mass of water vapor and carbon dioxide.
This observation directly supports the law of conservation of matter, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction. By confirming that the total mass of the reactants (gasoline and oxygen) equals the total mass of the products (water vapor and carbon dioxide), the chemist demonstrates that all atoms are accounted for in the reaction.
This statement illustrates the law of conservation of matter perfectly. It shows that the total mass before the reaction (gasoline and oxygen) is equal to the total mass after the reaction (water vapor and carbon dioxide), confirming that no matter was lost or gained during the chemical process.
This observation does not support the law of conservation of matter since it compares only one reactant (gasoline) to one product (carbon dioxide). The law requires a comparison of the total mass of all reactants and products, not just individual components.
Similar to choice B, this statement compares only one part of the reactants (oxygen) to one part of the products (water vapor). It fails to encompass the complete set of substances involved in the reaction, thereby neglecting the overall mass balance necessary for validating the conservation law.
This option incorrectly compares the mass of one reactant (gasoline) with one product (carbon dioxide) alongside the other reactant (oxygen) and product (water vapor). The law of conservation of matter necessitates a comprehensive assessment of total masses on both sides of the equation, which this statement does not fulfill.
The law of conservation of matter is validated when the total mass of the reactants equals the total mass of the products in a chemical reaction. In this case, the observation that the mass of gasoline and oxygen equals the mass of water vapor and carbon dioxide provides clear evidence that matter is neither created nor destroyed during the burning of gasoline, affirming the principle that governs all chemical reactions.
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