Using the same image of the vinegar and baking soda chemical reaction... A scientist finds that the total mass after the compounds react, is less than the sum of the masses before they react. Which 2 statements explain this observation.

Question

Some of the mass has escaped as a gas.
Some of the mass has escaped as a gas.

Some of the mass was destroyed during the reaction.
Some of the mass was destroyed during the reaction.

Law of conservation of mass. Mass can not be created nor destroyed.
Law of conservation of mass. Mass can not be created nor destroyed.

There is no way the mass can be different.

Answer 1

The two statements that best explain the observation that the total mass after the reaction is less than the sum of the masses before the reaction are:

1. Some of the mass has escaped as a gas.
2. Law of conservation of mass. Mass cannot be created nor destroyed.

These statements indicate that while the total mass before the reaction is accounted for, some of it may have left the system as gas (like carbon dioxide), leading to a lower total mass observed after the reaction. The conservation of mass principle reinforces that mass cannot simply disappear; it can only change forms or locations.