Chemical equations must be balanced because a mass can neither be created nor destroyed. b the mass of the reactants is always greater than the mass of the products. c the mass of the products is always greater than the mass of the reactants. d mass is determined by a chemical reaction.

Answer 1

The correct reason why chemical equations must be balanced is:

a) Because mass can neither be created nor destroyed.

This is rooted in the law of conservation of mass, which states that in a closed system, the total mass remains constant throughout a chemical reaction. Therefore, the mass of the reactants must equal the mass of the products, necessitating that chemical equations are balanced.