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 baggie, waited 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. If the data did not support the law, a likely reason is that some gas, which is a form of matter, escaped from the open - baggie system before it was fully sealed, making the final measured mass less than the initial mass. Option A is not the most likely as there is no indication of balance - use issues. Option B is incorrect as gas has mass. Option C, while water evaporation could be a factor, gas escape from an incompletely - closed bag is a more significant and likely cause for the non - support of the law in this context.

Answer:

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