Question

matt and juan are studying chemical reactions and the law of conservation of matter in science. each lab group conducted an experiment to verify the law. the boys materials can be seen in the data table: antacid tablet, water, and a zip lock baggie. they found the mass of all the materials and recorded the mass in grams in the table as well, then calculated the total mass of the system. matt placed the tablet in the baggie and then juan poured in the water. the boys closed the baggiewaited until the tablet disappeared. when the reaction was completed, they found the mass of the system again. note their results in the data table. elaborate on the most logical reason why the data did not support the law of conservation of matter
a the boys did not know how to use the balance properly
b the reaction produced gas bubbles and they have no mass.
c some of the water evaporated and could not be massed as a product in the reaction
d some gas escaped from the baggie before the boys had it completely closed

Explanation:

The law of conservation of matter states that matter is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. In a closed - system experiment like this, if the final mass is less than the initial mass, it's likely due to loss of some matter. Option A is not the most likely as there's no indication of balance - usage issues. Option B is incorrect because gas has mass. Option C, water evaporation would not cause a significant enough mass difference compared to gas escape. Option D is correct as gas escaping from the bag before it was fully closed would result in a lower final mass, making the data seem not to support the law of conservation of matter.

Answer:

D. Some gas escaped from the baggie before the boys had it completely closed