Question
4Fe+3O2->2Fe2O3 how does the equation show the law of conservation mass
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The law of conservation of mass states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction; instead, the total mass of the reactants must equal the total mass of the products. In the equation you provided:
\[ 4\text{Fe} + 3\text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2\text{Fe}_2\text{O}_3 \]
we can analyze how this equation exemplifies the law of conservation of mass by counting the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.
1. **Reactants:**
- Iron (Fe): 4 atoms
- Oxygen (O): \(3 \times 2 = 6\) atoms (since there are 3 molecules of \(O_2\), each containing 2 oxygen atoms)
Total in reactants:
- Fe: 4
- O: 6
2. **Products:**
- Iron (Fe): \(2 \times 2 = 4\) atoms (since there are 2 molecules of \(Fe_2O_3\), each containing 2 iron atoms)
- Oxygen (O): \(2 \times 3 = 6\) atoms (since there are 2 molecules of \(Fe_2O_3\), each containing 3 oxygen atoms)
Total in products:
- Fe: 4
- O: 6
Since the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation (4 iron atoms and 6 oxygen atoms), this confirms that the mass is conserved in the reaction. Therefore, the chemical equation illustrates the law of conservation of mass, showing that the overall mass remains unchanged despite the change in the arrangement of atoms during the reaction.
\[ 4\text{Fe} + 3\text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2\text{Fe}_2\text{O}_3 \]
we can analyze how this equation exemplifies the law of conservation of mass by counting the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.
1. **Reactants:**
- Iron (Fe): 4 atoms
- Oxygen (O): \(3 \times 2 = 6\) atoms (since there are 3 molecules of \(O_2\), each containing 2 oxygen atoms)
Total in reactants:
- Fe: 4
- O: 6
2. **Products:**
- Iron (Fe): \(2 \times 2 = 4\) atoms (since there are 2 molecules of \(Fe_2O_3\), each containing 2 iron atoms)
- Oxygen (O): \(2 \times 3 = 6\) atoms (since there are 2 molecules of \(Fe_2O_3\), each containing 3 oxygen atoms)
Total in products:
- Fe: 4
- O: 6
Since the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation (4 iron atoms and 6 oxygen atoms), this confirms that the mass is conserved in the reaction. Therefore, the chemical equation illustrates the law of conservation of mass, showing that the overall mass remains unchanged despite the change in the arrangement of atoms during the reaction.