Question

Which is most likely to occur during a chemical reaction?

The original substance maintains its properties.
Atoms of the original substance are lost.
Mass is conserved.
New atoms are created.

Answer 1

During a chemical reaction, the most likely to occur is that **mass is conserved**. This principle is known as the law of conservation of mass, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction. While the original substances (reactants) will undergo change and form new substances (products) with different properties, the total mass of the reactants is equal to the total mass of the products.

The other options are not correct:

- The original substance does not maintain its properties after the reaction; it transforms into products with different properties.
- Atoms of the original substance are not lost; they are rearranged to form new substances.
- New atoms are not created; the atoms present before the reaction are simply rearranged.