Question

a flask with vinegar in it has a mass of 160 grams. a balloon with baking soda in it has a mass of 40 grams. the balloon is attached to the flask to seal the opening and the vinegar and baking soda mixes. the balloon inflates to a large volume. what will the total mass of the balloon and flask be after the balloon inflates? explain.
a less than 200 grams because the solid baking soda disappears
b 200 grams, because all the atoms remain in the balloon or flask
c more than 200 grams because the size of the balloon is so much larger
d less than 200 grams because gases such as the one in the balloon are lighter than solids and liquids

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the initial total mass

The initial mass of the flask with vinegar is 160 grams and the mass of the balloon with baking - soda is 40 grams. So the initial total mass $m_{total - initial}=160 + 40=200$ grams.

Step2: Apply the law of conservation of mass

In a closed - system (the flask and balloon are a closed system as the balloon seals the flask), during a chemical reaction (vinegar and baking - soda reaction), the total mass of the substances before the reaction is equal to the total mass of the substances after the reaction. This is because atoms are neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction, they just rearrange. So the total mass after the balloon inflates is still 200 grams.

Answer:

B. 200 grams, because all the atoms remain in the balloon or flask