Question

assume that 5g of compound a reacts with 8g of compound b. a solid is produced in the reaction, and some gas is also released. the solid has a mass of 5g. what is the mass of the gas released in the reaction? select the choice that provides the correct answer and reasoning.
a) 8g, since gases were released during the reaction it must have been 8 grams.
b) 13g, since gases were released during the reaction it must have been 13 grams because that is the initial amount.
c) 8g. according to the law of the conservation of mass, the total mass of the system should be 13g. since the solid was 5g, the remaining mass of gas is 8g.
d) 13g; due to the law of conservation of mass, if we started with 13 grams we must end with 13 grams. therefore, 13 grams of gases must have been transferred into the atmosphere.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall law of conservation of mass

The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. The total mass of the reactants must equal the total mass of the products.

Step2: Identify reactant and product masses

We started with 13 g of reactants. After the reaction, the solid product has a mass of 5 g. Let the mass of gases be \(x\). According to the law of conservation of mass, \(13 = 5+x\).

Step3: Solve for the mass of gases

We can solve the equation \(13 = 5+x\) for \(x\) by subtracting 5 from both sides. So \(x=13 - 5=8\) g.

Answer:

8 g, since according to the law of the conservation of mass, the total mass of the system should be 13 g. Since the solid is 5 g, the remaining mass of the gas is 8 g.