Question

set up a chemical equation and determine the missing information for the following law of conservation of mass problem. if the law of conservation of mass holds true, how much sodium chloride will react with 34.0 g of silver nitrate to produce 17 g of sodium nitrate and 28.70 g of silver chloride?

Explanation:

Step1: Write the chemical equation

The reaction between sodium chloride ($NaCl$) and silver nitrate ($AgNO_3$) is $NaCl + AgNO_3
ightarrow NaNO_3+AgCl$.

Step2: Apply the law of conservation of mass

According to the law of conservation of mass, the sum of the masses of reactants equals the sum of the masses of products. Let the mass of sodium chloride be $x$ grams. The mass of silver nitrate is $34.0$ g, the mass of sodium nitrate is $17$ g and the mass of silver chloride is $28.70$ g. So, $x + 34.0=17 + 28.70$.

Step3: Solve for the mass of sodium chloride

$x=17 + 28.70-34.0$.
$x = 11.7$ g.

Answer:

$11.7$ g