A student combines two liquids in a beaker. She observes that the mass of the combined liquid is less than the mass of the two separate liquids. The student claims that this observation shows that matter is not conserved in chemical reactions. Which statement explains why the student's claim is incorrect? (1 point)

Question

The combined liquid was warmer than the two separate liquids.

The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker

The reaction did not change the physical properties of the liquids.

The product contained fewer atoms than the reactants

Answer 1

The correct statement that explains why the student's claim is incorrect is:

The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.

This indicates that some of the mass was lost to the environment in the form of gas, which aligns with the principle of conservation of mass. During a chemical reaction or mixing of substances, if a gas is released and escapes, the total mass measured may appear to be less, but matter is still conserved overall; it has just taken a different form (in this case, gas).