Suppose 10 atoms of carbon (C) react with 20 atoms of oxygen (O) to form 10 molecules of carbon dioxide ( CO2

Question

). According to the law of conservation of matter, how many atoms are present in this reaction?

Answer 1

According to the law of conservation of matter, the number of atoms before the reaction must be equal to the number of atoms after the reaction.

Before the reaction:
10 atoms of carbon + 20 atoms of oxygen = 30 atoms

After the reaction:
10 molecules of carbon dioxide = 10 atoms of carbon + 20 atoms of oxygen = 30 atoms

Therefore, there are 30 atoms present in this reaction.