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) Responses The reaction did not change the physical properties of the liquids. The reaction did not change the physical properties of the liquids. The combined liquid was warmer than the two separate liquids. The combined liquid was warmer than the two separate liquids. The product contained fewer atoms than the reactants. The product contained fewer atoms than the reactants. The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.

1 answer

The correct statement that explains why the student’s claim is incorrect is: The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.

This is because the loss of mass in the combined liquid could be attributed to the escape of gas, indicating that matter is still conserved overall, but some of it has left the system.