When liquid gasoline is burned, the oxygen in the air combined with the octane in the gasoline produces gaseous carbon dioxide and water vapor. Which statement about this reaction is correct?
The total mass of the products is equal to the total mass of the reactants.
In a chemical reaction, such as the combustion of gasoline, the law of conservation of mass dictates that the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products. This principle ensures that atoms are neither created nor destroyed during the reaction; they are merely rearranged to form new substances.
This statement accurately reflects the law of conservation of mass, which states that in a closed system, the mass remains constant before and after a chemical reaction. In the combustion of gasoline, the mass of octane and oxygen consumed will equal the mass of carbon dioxide and water produced.
This choice is misleading because, while energy is released in the form of heat and light during combustion, the total energy is conserved according to the first law of thermodynamics. Thus, energy does not simply decrease; rather, it transforms from one form to another.
This statement is incorrect because, during the combustion of gasoline, the reactant molecules (octane and oxygen) are transformed into entirely new product molecules (carbon dioxide and water). Therefore, the molecular composition changes, not just the state of matter.
This statement is not universally true, particularly for gases. While the total number of gas molecules may change during the reaction, the volume occupied by gases can vary depending on temperature and pressure conditions. Hence, the volumes of reactants and products are not necessarily equal.
The combustion of gasoline exemplifies a chemical reaction where the total mass of the products equals the total mass of the reactants, adhering to the law of conservation of mass. While energy transformations occur and molecular structures change, other statements regarding energy decrease or volume equivalence do not hold true in this context. Understanding these principles is essential in the study of chemical reactions and their implications in energy production.
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