Question

When iron rusts and forms iron oxide, the iron oxide has more mass than the iron. Which statement correctly explains this difference in mass? (1 point)
• The iron atoms in iron oxide have more mass than pure iron.
• There are more iron atoms in iron oxide than in pure iron.
The oxygen atoms in iron oxide have more mass than the iron atoms in pure
• iron.
• Iron oxide has oxygen atoms, and pure iron does not.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
The correct statement that explains the difference in mass when iron rusts and forms iron oxide is:

• Iron oxide has oxygen atoms, and pure iron does not.

When iron rusts, it reacts with oxygen in the presence of moisture, resulting in iron oxide (rust), which contains both iron and oxygen atoms. The addition of oxygen contributes to the overall mass of the rust compared to the original pure iron.