Magnesium hydroxide reacts with nitric acid to produce magnesium nitrate and water. Mg(OH)2+2HNO3→Mg(NO3)2+2H2O In one to two sentences, explain how because this chemical equation is balanced, it demonstrates that matter is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.

Answer 1

The balanced chemical equation \( \text{Mg(OH)}_2 + 2\text{HNO}_3 \rightarrow \text{Mg(NO}_3\text{)}_2 + 2\text{H}_2\text{O} \) shows that the number of atoms of each element is conserved on both sides of the reaction, with equal amounts of magnesium, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen present. This demonstrates that matter is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction, aligning with the law of conservation of mass.