In a reaction, 5.3 g of sodium carbonate reacted with 6 g ethanoic acid. The products were 2.2 g of carbon dioxide, o.9 g of water and 8.2 g of sodium ethanoate. Show that these observations are in agreement with the law of conservation of mass.
All that we have to do in this problem is to calculate the mass of reactants and products separately, and then compare the two. If the two masses are equal, then the law of conservation of mass gets verified. The given reaction can be written as:
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(i) Sodium carbonate and ethanoic acid are reactants.
So, Mass of reactants = Mass of sodium + Mass of ethanoic acid
= 5.3 + 6
= 11.3 g
(ii) Sodium ethanoic, carbon dioxide and water are products.
So, Mass of products = Mass of sodium ethanoic + Mass of carbon dioxide + Mass of water
= 8.2 + 2.2 + 0.9
= 11.3 g
We find that the mass of reactants is 11.3 g and the mass of products is also 11.3 g. Since the mass of products is equal to the mass of reactants, the given data verifies the law of conservation of mass.