7. A pile of wood burns and produces ash. The ash weighs less than the original wood. What can you predict about the chemical reaction that happened?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Answer 1

The burning of wood is a chemical reaction known as combustion, which involves the reaction of wood (primarily composed of cellulose and other organic compounds) with oxygen in the air. During this process, the wood is transformed into various gases (such as carbon dioxide and water vapor), heat, and solid residues (ash).

The fact that the ash weighs less than the original wood indicates that some of the mass has been converted into gaseous byproducts that are released into the atmosphere during combustion. According to the law of conservation of mass, although the total mass is conserved in a closed system, the mass can change forms and be released into the environment. Therefore, the reduction in weight after burning suggests that significant portions of the original wood have been converted into gases that are not captured in the final ash.

In summary, we can predict that the combustion reaction of wood results in the conversion of solid wood into gaseous products that escape into the air, while the remaining ash is a small fraction of the original mass.